Columbia  (Bnit)e«ttp 
intljfCilpoflflfttjgorb 

THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR, 
From  a  Photograph  by  Miley,  1885 


Life  and  Letters 

of 

Rev.  George  Boardman  Taylor,  D.  D, 


George  Braxton  Taylor 


Lynchburg,   Virginia 

J.  P.  Bell  Company,  Printers 

MCMVIll 


^^ 


Copyright,  1908, 
By  George  Braxton  Taylor. 


FOREWORD 

About  thirty  years  ago  I  spent  a  winter  in  Rome  and 
for  the  first  time  met  the  Rev.  Dr.  George  B.  Taylor.  I 
was  sick  in  a  strange  city,  and  he  visited  me.  I  began 
then  to  realize  how  rich  is  the  incidental  ministry  which 
the  foreign  missionary  can  perform  to  his  own  country- 
men, whom  he  chances  to  find  in  need  and  pain,  like  ships 
that  pass  in  the  night.  From  that  time  his  life  touched 
mine  at  difi^erent  points,  and  I  ever  learned  more  deeply 
to  admire  his  strenuous  and  abstemious  nature.  There 
could  hardly  be  a  more  perfect  blending  of  saint,  scholar 
and  gentleman.  T  used  to  attend  his  Sunday  services, 
and  the  vision  of  his  pale  but  glowing  features  and  his 
delicate  frame,  protected  by  a  gray  shawl  against  the  tomb- 
like chilliness  of  the  locale  where  his  disciples  met,  will 
never  fade  away  from  my  remembrance. 

When  the  English  troops  made  their  famous  charge  up 
Spion  Kop,  attaining  its  summit  only  to  be  swept  down 
by  the  murderous  cross-fire  of  the  Boers,  they  had  left 
Major  Ross  in  camp  weak  and  unable  to  walk.  But  we 
are  told  that  rumors  of  the  desperate  conflict  in  which  his 
regiment  was  involved  must  have  reached  the  hospital  tent 
in  which  the  sick  man  lay,  for  at  three  o'clock  that  after- 
noon the  orderly  reported  that  his  bed  was  empty.  How 
his  gallant  spirit  drove  his  weak  body  up  the  long  climb, 
across  the  lead-swept  plateau,  and  into  the  firing  line, 
no  man  knows,  for  none  then  saw  him;    but  at  dusk  his 


FOREWORD 


body  was  found  on  the  crest  where  his  company  had 
struggled  through  the  day.  In  some  such  way  Dr.  Taylor's 
unconquerable  soul  pushed  his  frail  body  through  all  the 
isolation  and  shock  and  strain  incident  to  the  part  which 
he  took  in  the  establishment  of  Protestantism  in  the 
citadel  of  papacy,  just  at  that  interesting  period  when 
the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope  was  ended,  and  Rome  for 
the  first  time  in  her  history  flung  her  gates  wide  open  to 
the  gospel. 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  value  of  such  a  life.  Our 
Master  does  not  measure  our  work,  but  weighs  it. 
Foundation  laying  is  always  slow  and  inconspicuous. 
Who  can  tell  how  much,  in  Italian  thought,  the  swing  of 
the  pendulum  from  Romanism  towards  Atheism  has  been 
retarded  by  such  a  life  as  Dr.  Taylor's,  and  how  far  it 
is  due  to  his  labors  that  Ave  find  the  minds  of  the  Italians 
that  throng  to  our  shores  hospitable  to  Protestant  ideas ! 
Success  and  suffering  are  vitally  interrelated.  If  you 
suffer  without  succeeding,  it  is  that  others  may  succeed 
after  you ;  if  you  succeed  without  suffering,  it  is  because 
others  suffered  before  you. 

Edward  Judson. 
■53  Washington  Square^  New  York. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     Early  Years 7 

II.     Baltimore  Pastorate  —  Marriac+e 29 

III.  First  Pastorate  in  Staunton  —  Civil  War 41 

IV.  "  Keconstruction  Period"  —  Chaplain  at  the  Univer- 

sity OF  Virginia  —  To  Europe 88 

V.    Second  Pastorate  in  Staunton  —  Departure  for  Rome  134 

Vr.    First  Years  IN  Rome — Rome  Chapel 168 

VII.     First  Visit  to  America  —  Mrs.  Taylor's  Death  —  Sec- 
ond Chaplaincy  at  the  University  of  Virginia.  . .  216 

VIII.    Home  Life— Mission  Affairs  —  Chapels  Dedicated  — 

Journeys  to  Sicily,  Sardinia  and  Switzerland 249 

IX.     Visit   to    America  —  Literary  Work  —  Theological 

School 298 

X.     Last  Visit  to  America  —  Death 339 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

1.  From  a  Photograph  by  Miley,  1 885 Frontispiece 

2.  Staunton  Church,  Rotunda  (University  of  Virginia), 

Franklin  Square  Church,  Rome  Chapel Facing  Qiap.  Ill 

3.  From  A  Photograph  BY  Miley,  ABOUT  1871 "    IV 

4.  Parlour,  Via  Giulio  Romano,  Rome,  about  1900 "    IX 

(From  a  Kodak) 

5.  Last  Picture  —  Berne,  1903 ..    "     X 

(From  a  Kodak) 


LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

OF 

REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  I 

EUirly  Years 


Happy  those  early  days,  when  I 
Shined  in  my  early  infancy! 
Before  I  understood  this  place 
Appointed  for  my  second  race, 
Or  taught  my  soul  to  fancy  aught 
But  a  white  celeatial  thought. 

—  Vaughan. 
The  spirit  of  a  youth 
That  means  to  be  of  note,  begins  betimes. 

— Shakespeare. 

A  FEW  years  ago  an  American  clergyman  and  his  two 
daughters  were  journeying  from  Poland  to  Italy.  They 
spent  a  day  at  the  beautiful  twin  city  on  the  Danube, 
Budapest,  guests  of  the  famous  Hotel  Hungaria.  The 
next  day,  on  the  train,  they  fell  into  conversation  with  a 
fellow-countryman  who  had  travelled  in  almost  all  lands. 
He,  too,  had  been  a  guest  the  night  before  under  the 
same  roof  as  they.  The  talk  turning  to  hotels,  which 
have  so  much  to  do  with  our  comfort  when  we  are  journey- 
ing, the  stranger  declared  that  in  all  his  wanderings  the 
finest  hotels  he  had  found  were  the  ^' Hotel  Hungaria"  at 
Budapest,  and  'The  Jefferson"  at  Richmond,  Virginia. 
Upon  this  the  clergyman  announced,  with  no  small  degree 
of  pride  and  pleasure,  that  Richmond  was  his  native  city. 

The  clergyman  was  George  Boardman  Taylor,  and  he 
was  fond  of  adopting  Paul's  language  and  declaring  that 
he  was  '"a  citizen  of  no  mean  city."     To  the  very  end  of 


8  LIFE    AND    LETTERS     OF 

his  life,  in  his  far-away  home  in  the  city  by  the  Tiber, 
he  always  heard  with  keen  delight  accounts  of  the  progress 
and  prosperity  of  the  city  on  the  James.  Here  in  a  house 
on  the  comer  of  Fourth  and  Grace  streets,  where  the 
Grace  Street  Presbyterian  Church  now  stands,  on  Decem- 
ber 27th,  1832,  he  first  saw  the  light,  and  was  named 
George  Boardman  in  honor  of  the  consecrated  missionary 
who  just  a  little  while  before  had  laid  down  his  life  in 
distant  Burniah,  and  who  has  been  called  the  ''Apostle  to 
the  Karens."  His  father,  James  B.  Taylor,  though  born 
in  England,  had  been  brought  to  this  country  when  still 
an  infant.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  intellect  and  great 
vigor  and  will  power,  yet  withal  gentle  and  mild  in  his 
manner.  He  never  had  college  and  university  and 
seminary  training,  but  he  wrote  and  s])oke  with  remark- 
able force,  simplicity  and  clearness,  and  was  not  unfamiliar 
with  the  masterpieces  of  English  literature.  In  1832  he 
had  been  pastor  of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  some  eight 
years.  His  wife  was  of  the  distinguished  Williams  family 
of  New  England,  descended  from  a  line  of  pious  Congre- 
gational ministers.  The  second  child  bom  to  these  parents 
was  a  son,  and  the  name  he  received  suggests  the  religious 
atmosphere  of  the  home  into  which  he  had  come.  The 
six  children  who  were  bom  into  this  home,  three  daughters 
and  three  sons,  all  of  whom  lived  to  see  their  own 
children  men  and  women,  were  members  of  a  family 
where  ''plain  living  and  high  thinking"  were  the  order  of 
the  day.  During  the  early  childhood  of  the  oldest  son,  a 
comfortable  house  of  ten  rooms  with  a  large  yard  and 
garden  was   purchased.      This    yard   afforded   an    ample 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.         9 

space  fur  the  children's  games,  and  it  was  there  that 
George  and  his  sister  Jane  used  to  amuse  themselves 
playing  college,  naming  the  school,  whose  patrons  they 
were,  ''the  College  of  George  and  Jane,"  in  imitation  of 
a  venerable  institution  not  far  away.  This  house  is  thus 
referred  to  in  ''Richmond  in  Bygone  Days" : 

''An  antique  dwelling,  half  brick,  half  wood,  with  the 
square  on  which  it  stood  on  the  south  side  of  Main,  between 
Second  and  Third  streets,  was  the  residence  many  years 
ago  of  ^Major  Andrew  Dunscombe,  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  a  gentleman  of  the  olden  time.  He  was,  I  think, 
a  Master  in  Chancery  of  Judge  Wythe's  court,  and,  if  I 
mistake  not,  he  erected  GoodalTs  Tavern  (the  liidiiiii 
Queen),  since  called  Washington  and  now  Monument.'' 

Good  books  abounded  in  this  home.  Most  liberally 
were  they  provided  for  the  children,  regardless  of  cost, 
and  this  in  a  day  when  they  were  far  more  expensive  than 
they  are  to-day.  Some  parents  are  lavish  in  their  expendi- 
ture of  money  for  clothes  and  food,  but  they  star\'e  the 
minds  of  their  children.  Not  so  in  this  home.  To  the  third 
generation  not  a  few  handsome  volumes  have  come  down 
to  bear  witness  to  the  mental  pabulum  that  these  children 
fed  upon.  For  example,  George,  on  March  15th,  1848, 
when  he  was  a  little  over  fifteen  years  old,  received  from 
his  father  Chambers'  Encyclopsadia  of  English  Literature, 
in  two  large  volumes.  Notice,  too,  that  this  was  at  neither 
birthday  nor  Christmas.  Buying  good  books  was  evi- 
dently an  everyday  occurrence  in  this  home.  No  wonder 
that  George  became  as  familiar  with  books  as  a  stable 
boy  is  with  horses.     At  four  years  of  age  he  was  reading 


10  LIFE    AND    LETTERS     OF 

the  j^ew  Testament,  thus  establishing  a  precedent  which 
some  of  his  descendants  have  found  burdensome. 

When  George  was  a  child  of  seven  summers,  his  father 
was  appointed  chaplain  to  the  University  of  Virginia, 
he  being  the  second  Baptist  to  hold  this  position.  On  the 
journey  towards  Charlottesville,  the  child  saw,  possibly 
at  Louisa  Court  House,  a  jail.  He  asked  his  mother 
why  that  house  had  iron  bars  across  the  windows.  His 
mother  explained  that  people  who  took  things  that  did 
not  belong  to  them  were  put  into  that  house.  All  at  once 
the  child  became  very  silent  and  very  serious:  ^'Mama, 
will  they  put  me  in  there  ?  The  other  day  when  you  were 
not  looking  I  took  a  lump  of  sugar  out  of  the  sugar  dish." 

At  the  University,  as  in  those  days  the  parsonage 
had  not  been  built,  the  chaplain  lived  in  the  house  on  the 
LawTi  afterwards  occupied  by  Dr.  Basil  L.  Gildersleeve 
and  at  present  the  home  of  Prof.  A.  H.  Tuttle.  Although 
the  chaplaincy  lasted  only  a  year,  the  University  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  George,  though  he  never  dreamed 
that  years  afterwards  he  would  twice  occupy  the  position 
his  father  was  filling. 

When  his  father  went  to  see  the  experiments  of 
Professor  Eimnett  in  Chemistry,  George  would  go  along 
and  the  janitor  would  dust,  and  bring  out  for  his  use,  an 
insulating  stool  with  glass  legs.  If  George's  legs  were 
scarcely  long  enough  for  the  benches  in  the  Chemistry 
lecture  room,  they  were  long  enough  and  strong  enough 
to  enable  him  to  accompany  his  father  on  many  a  tramp 
'^over  Observatory  Mountain  and  Lewis  Mountain,  or 
through  the  fields,  plucking  the  honeysuckle  or  wild-ivy 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR^  D.  D.         11 

and  starting  the  bird  from  her  nest/'  the  eyes  of  the 
father  and  child  "meantime  feasting  on  the  red  fields 
inlaid  with  emerald  forests,  contrasting  beautifully  with 
each  other  and  with  the  blue  sky  and  distant  Blue  Kidge 
Mountains." 

After  the  year  at  the  University  Mr.  Taylor  returned 
to  Richmond  to  become  pastor  of  the  Grace  Street  Baptist 
Church,  and  so,  until  he  left  home  to  teach  and  to  go  to 
the  University  as  a  student,  George's  home  was  Richmond. 
Not  a  few  of  the  anecdotes  which  come  to  us  from  this 
period  of  his  life  breathe  that  love  of  adventure 
and  quiet  courage  which  in  later  life  were  to  help  him  in 
many  important  and  trying  experiences.  Preachers'  sons 
are  often  supposed  to  be  effeminate  and  unable  to  defend 
themselves  as  other  boys  do,  nor  did  his  companions  make 
a  mental  excej^tion  in  favor  of  George  until  one  day  he 
kicked  down  a  flight  of  steps  an  urchin  who  had  presumed 
too  far ;  after  this,  his  pluck  and  grit  were  not  questioned. 

From  time  immemorial  Richmond  boys  have  been 
famous  swimmers,  partly  because  James  River  just  above 
Richmond,  with  its  falls  full  of  treacherous  rapids,  offers  at 
once  a  place  for  natatorial  sport  and  an  unusual  scope  for 
skill  and  agility  in  the  water.  The  boys  were  allowed  by 
their  school  teacher  to  go  to  the  river  at  recess,  with  the 
understanding  that  if  they  were  not  back  on  time  they 
were  to  receive  a  stroke  on  the  hand  from  the  ferule  for 
every  moment  they  were  tardy.  One  day  George  left 
his  knife  on  the  bank  and  went  back  for  it,  with  the 
result  that  he  was  almost  an  hour  late.  Before  the  whole 
school  he  stood  and  took  his  punishment  like  a  man,  only 


12  LIFE    AND    LETTERS     OF 

pleading  now  and  then  to  be  allowed  to  hold  out  the  other 
hand  for  awhile.  His  grandfather  lived  five  miles  or  so 
out  in  the  country,  and  thither  the  boy  often  went  for  a  holi- 
day as  well  as  at  other  times.  It  was  probably  on  one  of 
these  trips  that  he  was  so  severely  bitten  by  a  dog  that  the 
scar  on  his  leg  went  with  him  through  life. 

In  December,  1833,  Richmond  College  was  moved  from 
the  country  to  the  place  it  now  occupies,  and  when  George 
was  still  not  fourteen  years  old  he  was  already  one  of  its 
students.  Dr.  Robert  Ryland  was  the  president  of  the 
College,  Bennett  Puryear  Professor  of  Chemistry,  and, 
for  a  season,  Charles  L.  Cocke,  afterwards  the  founder  of 
Hollins  Institute,  was  one  of  George's  teachers.  In  1846, 
on  a  long  tour  he  was  making  through  the  South  on  behalf 
of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  Mr.  Taylor,  writing  home 
to  his  wife  and  telling  how  he  longed  to  see  his  little 
family,  made  this  reference  to  his  oldest  son : 

^'I  would  be  willing  to  stroll  out  as  far  as  the  College, 
tired  as  I  am  of  travelling,  for  the  sake  of  looking  into 
George's  face.  I  'reckon'  he  is  as  busy  as  he  can  well  be. 
Mr.  Cocke  says  in  his  letter  to  me  that  George  can  be  at 
the  head  of  his  class,  and  it  would  not  at  all  surprise  me 
if  in  peeping  into  the  school  room  I  should  find  him  there." 

The  professor  of  Chemistry  was  in  the  habit  of  ad- 
ministering occasionally  laughing  gas  to  his  students.  The 
story  goes  that  upon  one  of  these  occasions  young  Taylor, 
always  a  good  jumper,  and  now  rendered  abnormally  active 
by  the  gas,  cleared  the  high  fence  behind  which  Professor 
Puryear  had,  by  way  of  precaution,  stationed  himself, 
and  gave  his  teacher  a  hot  chase  across  the  campus  to 


REV.  GEORGE  BOAEDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.         13 

his  house.  Dr.  Ryland  was  fond  of  trying  to  trap  the 
boys  with  hard  questions.  When  he  asked  young  Taylor 
how  he  pronounced  a  certain  word,  the  answer  he  got, 
uttered  in  a  serious  tone,  was:  ''Dr.  Ryland,  I  never  use 
that  word."  It  was  at  this  period  of  his  life  that  the 
young  collegian  w^as  one  of  a  merry  party  of  youths  and 
maidens  invited  to  take  tea  at  the  homo  of  one  of  his 
father's  members.  When  the  party  came  to  the  table,  the 
hostess  called  on  him  to  ask  the  blessing.  What  must 
have  been  the  surprise  and  suppressed  amusement  when 
they  all  heard  him  say :  ''I  never  do  such  things !" 

While  at  Richmond  College  George  E.  Taylor  and 
William  D.  Thomas  were  intimate  friends.  Both  were 
of  a  philosophical  tura  of  mind.  On  their  long  walks 
away  out  into  the  country,  in  turn  they  would  speak  at 
the  top  of  their  voices  to  imaginary  audiences.  In  the 
Mu  Sigma  Rho  literary  society,  like\vise,  Taylor  entered 
the  arena  of  debate,  his  whole  being  kindling  into  en- 
thusiasm. In  1851  the  third  graduating  class  of  Rich- 
mond College  went  forth  from  their  alma  mater.  A 
programme  of  the  order  of  exercises  is  still  in  existence 
and  gives  the  list  of  graduates  and  the  subjects  of  their 
addresses  as  follows :  The  Reformation,  William  S.  Eland, 
King  and  Queen;  The  Scholar,  Morton  B.  Howell,  Rich- 
mond ;  The  Influence  of  Circumstances  on  Genius,  George 
W.  Keesee,  Henrico;  The  Tolerance  of  Reform,  George 
B.  Taylor,  Richmond ;  The  Relations  of  Animal  and  Vege- 
table Life,  William  D.  Thomas,  Richmond.  All  of  this 
class  have  passed  away,  save  Morton  B.  Howell,  who  is  a 
distinguished  member  of  the  l^ashville  bar. 


14  LIFE    AND   LETTERS      OF 

After  his  graduation  at  Richmond  College,  Mr.  Taylor, 
then  in  his  nineteenth  year,  taught  for  one  session  in 
the  ^Tork"  neighborhood,  Fluvanna  County,  what  was 
popularly  known  in  Virginia  as  ''an  old  field  school." 
This  sojourn  in  Fluvanna  was  destined  to  mark  an  epoch 
in  his  life,  and  the  memory  of  him  and  his  work  has  not 
yet  faded  among  those  whom  he  taught  and  ministered  to 
in  other  ways.  With  this  his  first  protracted  absence  from 
his  father's  roof-tree  began  that  series  of  long,  frequent, 
charming  letters  to  his  loved  ones  which  was  to  continue 
through  his  life  and  to  be,  for  the  lives  of  many,  like  the 
clear,  refreshing,  ever-flowing,  life-giving  waters  from  a 
splendid  mountain  spring.  Through  his  letters  we  catch 
some  glimpses  of  the  teacher  and  his  school.  Under  date 
of  July  18th,  1851,  he  wrote  to  one  nf  his  brothers: 

"The  school  house  is  about  a  mile  from  here.  I  walk  over 
in  the  morning  with  seven  of  my  sixteen  scholars.  The 
boys  carry  a  large  basket  of  dinner,  and  a  jug  of  milk 
which  is  put  into  the  spring  to  keep  cool  till  lunch  time. 
At  the  school  house  I  stay  till  4.30  or  5.  Carry  a  cane 
all  the  time.  Occupy  my  armchair  with  equal  honor  to 
my  own  station  and  terror  to  my  scholars.  My  boys  have 
several  times  brought  me  peaches  or  apples.  Hope  I 
may  not  have  to  engraft  any  thing  of  the  peach  on  them. 
.  .  .  Six  of  my  scholars  are  girls !  They  are.  I  have 
them  play  to  themselves.  A  large  snake  frightened  them 
at  play  in  the  leaves  yesterday  at  recess.  They  were 
making  houses.  I  sent  one  of  the  boys  to  kill  it.  Yester- 
day after  school  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  my  boys  I 
accompanied  them  to  the  Rivanna  to  bathe." 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        15 

In  a  letter  of  the  same  date  to  his  father  he  writes: 
"I  open  school  at  8.30  and  close  at  4.30;  giving-  ten 
minutes  recess  at  ten,  ninety  minutes  at  12,  and  ten 
minutes  more  at  3.15.  DonH  I  have  quite  a  siege?  The 
parents  would  like  it  better  for  me  to  keep  from  7.30  to 
5  or  later.  But  that  wouldn't  be  just  to  myself,  and  I 
will  not  do  it.  As  it  is,  the  confinement  and  constant 
engagement  is  quite  enough  for  me,  and  I  am  satisfied 
some  of  the  children  are  having  their  spirits  broken  by 
such  continued  sitting.  ...  I  can  say  of  the  last 
two  mornings: 

*I  saw  the  glorious  sun  arise.' 

Had  to  rise  myself  at  5.15.  Secured  nearly  an  hour  be- 
fore breakfast,  which  occurs  from  6  to  6.15.  I  want  to 
try  to  get  at  least  four  hours  of  study  every  day — from 
5  to  6,  7  to  8,  12.30  to  1,  5.30  to  7.  Am  reading  a  work 
on  physiology  which  I  have  long  intended  to  become  ac- 
quainted with.     Commenced  law  this  morning." 

This  last  statement  called  forth  from  his  father  in 
reply  these  words : 

"So  you  have  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  ?  Do 
you  really  think  you  ^vill  be  employed  in  the  business  of 
pleading  before  civil  courts  and  on  behalf  of  the  earthly 
interests  of  your  fellow-men  ?  I  do  not  object  to  the 
occupancy  of  your  mind  in  this  way,  but  it  would  be  a 
matter  of  thankfulness  to  me  if  it  was  the  will  of  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church  to  employ  you  as  a  pleader  with  men 
to  be  reconciled  to  Him." 

It  was  to  be  as  the  father  wished,  and  when  one  sees  the 
devout,  strong  religious  feeling  which  breathed  in  several 


16  LIFE   AND   LETTERS      OF 

letters  written  even  before  his  life  in  Fluvanna,  the  wonder 
is,  not  that  he  became  a  preacher,  but  that  he  ever  thought 
of  the  law  at  all. 

With  his  younger  brother,  James,  one  of  his  pupils, 
he  lived  at  the  home  of  Silas  B.  Jones,  whose  children 
were  in  his  school.  The  only  complaint  Mr.  Jones  had 
against  the  teacher  was  that  he  could  not  sing!  Mr. 
Taylor  made  himself  useful  elsewhere  besides  in  his  school. 
It  was  a  time  of  great  temperance  agitation  and  en- 
thusiasm, and  he  was  much  in  demand  for  temperance 
addresses.  Once  at  a  temperance  rally  and  barbecue, 
just  as  he  was  about  to  conclude  his  address,  the  one  in 
charge  of  the  arrangements  pulled  his  coat-tail  and  asked 
him  if  he  could  speak  awhile  longer,  as  the  ox  was  not 
yet  fully  roasted.  He  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  as  his 
supply  of  suitable  anecdotes  was  abundant,  and  his  speech 
flowed  on  till  dinner  was  ready.  His  voice  was  heard  in 
the  church  as  well. 

Indeed,  the  brethren  were  so  much  pleased  with  him 
and  his  exhortations — if  his  addresses  were  not  to  be  called 
sermons — that  one  day,  when  he  was  absent,  the  Fork 
Church  licensed  him  to  preach.  So  his  career  as  a  preacher 
may  be  said  to  have  begun.  Like  Dr.  Jeter,  he  used  to 
say  in  later  years  that  he  always  planned  to  take  a  good 
long  time  and  deliberately  decide  whether  he  would 
preach,  but  having  once  gone  to  work,  he  was  so  busy 
preaching  that  he  never  had  time  to  decide  whether  he 
would  give  his  life  to  preaching.  The  following  extract 
from  one  of  his  letters  is  not  so  much  out  of  harmony  with 
the  foregoing  as  it  might  seem  at  first  blush : 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        17 

'*I  have  been  to  two  candy  pullings  within  the  past 
week,  and  pnllings  they  were,  too,  and  in  a  different  from 
the  ordinary  sense.  For  when  the  candy  attains  some 
degree  of  whiteness  everybody  snatches  from  everybody  else 
and  grab  game  is  the  order  of  the  evening.  The  first 
time  I  enjoyed  myself  considerably,  but  on  the  latter 
occasion  I  left  off  my  Christian  dignity  and  participated 
in  the  prevailing  va])idity  and  frivolity.  T  have  been 
ashamed  and  mortified  ever  since.  Only  wish  that  those 
who  saw  my  levity  could  be  cognizant  of  my  remorse  too." 

The  next  three  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Taylor  spent  as 
a  student  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  which  seat  of 
learning  had  then  been  established  some  twenty-seve(n 
years.  The  aff(^ction  which  Mr.  Jefferson  had  for  this 
school  is  gauged  by  the  fact  that  one  of  the  three  things 
he  selected  for  his  tombstone  concerning  himself  was  this : 
"Father  of  the  T^niversity  of  Virginia."  The  broad  and 
thorough  scholarshi]),  the  honor  system  and  the  elective 
scheme  of  studies  are  some  of  the  features  incorporated 
by  Jefferson  which  have  hel])ed  to  make  the  Virginia 
University  a  mighty  force,  especially  in  the  South,  but 
also  to  remoter  bounds.  Mr.  Jefferson  called  from  Europe 
the  first  professors.  Among  them  was  George  Long,  who 
after  several  years  returned  to  his  native  land  to  occupy 
a  chair  in  the  new  University  of  London.  He  carried  with 
him,  however,  as  a  souvenir  of  this  land,  a  Virginia  wife. 
Jefferson's  plan  had  been  that  the  professors  should 
occupy  the  upper  rooms  of  the  pavilions,  as  the  resi- 
dences on  the  Lawn  were  first  called,  the  students  to 
gather  for  class  work  in  the  rooms  below ;   but  as  the  ]iro- 


18  LIFE    AND   LETTERS      OF 

fessors  would  not  follow  his  plans  and  remain  bachelors, 
the  classes  were  soon  driven  to  seek  other  quarters.  Mr. 
Long  suggested,  as  his  successor  in  the  chair  of  Ancient 
Languages,  Gessner  Harrison,  one  of  his  students,  then 
only  twenty-one  years  old,  and  he  was  elected.  ''In  the 
opinion  of  many,  who  from  a  long  life  and  distinguished 
position  have  had  opportunities  for  judging,  Gessner  Har- 
rison may  be  said  to  have  done  more  than  any  one  man, 
with  the  single  exception  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  raising  the 
standard  of  education  throughout  the  South."  While 
Mr.  Taylor  and  his  fellow-students  were  greatly  influenced 
and  impressed  by  Gessner  Harrison,  there  were  other 
giants  in  those  days,  such  as  William  H.  McGuffey,  Albert 
T.  Bledsoe,  William  B.  Eogers,  J.  L.  Cabell  and  John  B. 
Minor.  Kot  only  the  professors  but  the  place  itself  was 
inspiring.  Many  have  been  reminded  of  Italj)  as  at 
sunset  they  have  stood  at  "Monticello"  and  looked  towards 
the  University  and  the  Blue  Ridge  beyond;  then  the 
buildings,  each  modelled  after  some  classical  edifice,  were 
characterized  by  a  unity  and  harmony  scarcely  found  any- 
where else  on  this  continent  at  that  time  or  for  a  third 
of  a  century  thereafter. 

Here,  then,  Mr.  Taylor  spent  three  very  busy,  three 
very  helpful  yeare.  He  had  never  been  strong 
physically,  and  the  many  burdens  he  assumed  during 
these  years  not  only  cost  him  his  Master  of  Arts  degree, 
but  probably  sent  him  out  to  his  life  work  handicapped. 
One  is  amazed  to  learn  from  his  letters  what  he  under- 
took and  what  he  accomplished.  Of  course  he  gave  first 
place  to  his   studies.     Honesty,   if  not  religion,  dictated 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.         19 

this.  Mathematics  was  by  no  means  his  fortr,  yot  an  allu- 
sion in  one  of  his  letters  reveals  the  fact  that  Dr.  Bledsoe 
had  given  him  on  his  report  a  good  mark  for  this  study. 
In  Latin  we  find  him  one  of  twenty-seven  who  passed 
while  thirty-seven  failed.  He  tells  in  one  of  his  letters 
how  Dr.  Harrison  called  on  him  once,  the  day  after  he 
had  been  away  and  missed  a  lecture.     He  says : 

''The  morning  after  my  return  here,  Dr.  Harrison  took 
occasion  to  question  me  on  the  lecture  before,  delivered 
during  my  absence.  It  so  happened,  by  good  luck,  or 
Providence,  that  I  had  gotten  the  points  from  a  fellow- 
student,  so  that  with  my  general  acquaintance  with  the 
subject  I  was  able  to  answer  quite  satisfactorily.  A  very 
desirable  thing,  when  one  is  so  seldom  questioned." 

In  the  class  of  Moral  Philosophy  Mr.  Taylor  must  have 
taken  particularly  high  rank,  and  he  was  one  of  a  coterie 
in  the  class  who  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  discussion  led  by 
Dr.  McGuffey  of  the  great  problems  which  present  them- 
selves in  the  realm  of  moral  and  mental  science.  Mr. 
Taylor  was  a  leader  in  the  Washington  Society,  taking 
many  of  its  honors,  and  upon  the  back  door  of  this  hall 
can  still  be  read,  unless  it  has  been  very  recently  erased, 
his  name,  put  there  not  by  his  hand  put  possibly  by  some 
over  zealous  friend.  He  was  president  of  the  Washington 
Literary  Society  during  the  session  of  1853-4,  and  on 
February  22nd  the  anniversary  orator.  On  this  occasion 
Washington's  Farewell  Address  was  read  by  R.  M. 
Mallory,  of  Brunswick  County,  Virginia. 

He  was  a  distinct  factor  in  the  Christian  life  of  the 
T^niversitv,    beino^    most    tactful    and    successful    in    his 


20  LIFE    AND   LETTERS      OF 

efforts  to  win  his  fellow-stiidents  for  Christ.  A  gentleman, 
now  living,  says  that  when  as  a  youth  he  w^as  a  clerk  in 
a  book  store  in  Richmond,  a  student  of  the  University  of 
Virginia  came  in,  asking  for  certain  religious  books.  H( 
had  been  directed  to  these  books  by  George  B.  Taylor,  his 
fellow-student.  He  became  a  Christiau  and  has  for  many 
years  been  a  distinguished  professor  in  one  of  our  Southern 
colleges.  ^N'or  were  his  labors  for  Christ  confined  to  the 
T^niversity.  He  seems  to  have  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  church  in  Charlottesville,  making  missionary  talks, 
teaching  in  the  Sunday  school,  and  now  and  then,  towards 
the  end  of  his  course,  preaching.  He  tells,  in  one  of  his 
letters,  as  follows,  how  he  went  back  to  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Fork,  some  twxmty  miles  away,   to  preach : 

"I  feel  Mondayish  rather  and  excusably  I  think.  Satur- 
day, after  attending  lectures,  I  rode  on  horseback  to  the 
Fork  .  .  .  and  yesterday  after  preaching  came  back 
through  any  (pumtity  of  rain  and  mud,  arriving  here,  by 
a  most  fatiguing  ride,  after  dark.  The  wonder  is  that  I 
am  not  sick  to-day.  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  any 
congregation  out,  as  the  morning  was  so  rainy  and 
threatening.  We  had  a  snug  little  time.  T  talked  from 
the  Parable  of  the  Pharisee  and  the  Publican." 

Yet  other  calls  were  made  upon  him  for  work  along 
similar  lines.     In  one  letter  he  writes: 

^^ To-morrow  a.  m.  we  have  that  Sunday-school  meeting, 
and  I  have  engaged  for  a  funeral  service  of  a  colored 
woman  in  the  p.  m." 

In  another  letter  he  tells  of  sitting  up  with  an  old  man 
who  was  sick,  saying: 


REV.    GEORGE    BOARDMAN    TAYLOR;,    D.    D.  21 

•'I  have  watched  with  hiin  two  nights — a  service  most 
cheerfully  rendered,  except  that  in  these  days  of  stand- 
ing all-day  examinations,  and  preparing  for  them,  one  is 
hardly  able  to  sit  u])  at  night  and  be  very  vigorous  during 
the  day.  They  thought  the  old  gentleman  was  dying  the 
other  day  and  called  me  in  to  witness  his  will — a  thing 
I  never  did  before.  While  sitting  up  Sunday  night  I 
took  a  general  review  of  my  life  and  found  it  pleasant 
to  call  up  many  bygone  scenes.  I  could  distinctly  re- 
member much  of  the  distant  and  long-forgotten  past  and 
could  see  in  their  old  appearance  many  objects  which 
have  greatly  changed." 

In  still  another  letter  he  speaks  of  attending  the  funeral 
of  a  colored  man.  Now  he  is  taking  part  in  the  service 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  at  the  Charlottesville  Church  and 
now  returning  from  preaching  in  the  country.  During 
at  least  a  part  of  his  University  life  he  was  pastor  of  the 
Mountain  Plain  Church,  and  it  was  at  the  call  of  this 
church  that  he  was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry,  the 
services  taking  place  in  the  Charlottesville  Baptist  meet- 
ing-house, James  B.  Taylor,  his  father,  and  John  A. 
Broadus,  being  members  of  the  presbytery.  He  sat  with 
great  delight  under  the  preaching  of  John  A.  Broadus, 
who,  after  being  assistant  in  Ancient  Languages  at  the 
University  of  Virginia  for  a  brief  period,  was  now  serving 
as  pastor,  the  only  regular  charge  he  ever  had.  At  this 
time  he  heard  for  the  first  time  Dr.  William  F.  Broaddus, 
the  remarkable  uncle  of  the  Charlottesville  pastor.  In 
later  life  Mr.  Taylor  writes  thus  of  these  experiences: 

"My  first  sight  of    Dr.  William  F.  Broaddus  was  at 


22  LIFE    AND   LETTEES      OF 

Charlottesville  in  the  early  fifties,  when  he  had  just 
returned  from  a  stay,  of  several  years,  in  Kentucky,  and, 
with  an  agency  for  Columbian  College,  was  visiting  his 
nephew  and  helping  him  in  a  protracted  meeting.  I  had 
often  heard  Drs.  Fuller  and  Jeter,  and  was  at  that  time 
sitting  Sunday  morning  and  night  entranced  under  the 
preaching  of  John  A.  Broadus,  which  for  popular  power 
has  scarcely  been  equalled  since,  even  by  himself.  But 
here  was  something  quite  new  in  style,  attractive  and 
powerful.  .  .  .  Honored  with  an  interview,  I  found 
Dr.  Broaddus  quite  accessible  and  genial,  and  then  be- 
gan a  mutual  friendship,  which,  favored  also  by  circum- 
stances, became  more  intimate  than  from  the  difference 
in  our  ages  would  have  seemed  possible. 

'We  talked  with  open  heart  and  tongue, 

Affectionate  and  true, 
A  pair  of  friends,  though  I  was  young. 

And  Matthew  seventy-two.' 

But  Dr.  Broaddus  was  not  then  sevcmty-two  by  a  good 
many  years,  seeming  still  in  his  later  prime." 

Mr.  Taylor  found  time  for  social  life,  and  through  his 
letters  we  catch  many  glimpses  of  him  ''in  lighter  vein" ; 
yet  there  was  also  the  deeper  current  of  religious  thought 
and  a  conscientiousness,  drawing  near  at  times  to  morbid 
introspection  and  moroseness.  The  danger-land  was, 
however,  never  entered,  and  long  before  his  life  had 
turned  towards  its  decline,  his  Christian  courage  and 
cheerfulness  had  more  than  won  the  day.  His  letters  to 
his  sisters  often  tell  of  his  visits  to  young  ladies  or  allude 
to  some  of  his  lady  friends  in  Richmond.     To  the  end  of 


EEV.    GEOEGE    BOAEDMAJST    TAYLOE,    D.    D.  23 

his  life  he  very  greatly  enjoyed  the  society  of  charming 
women,  and  the  reply  he  made  once  to  his  younger  son, 
years  afterwards,  tallies  with  what  may  be  read  between 
the  lines  of  these  letters  of  his  student  days.  One  day  he 
asked  this  son  who  his  sweetheart  was.  The  son  answered 
rather  curtly  that  he  did  not  have  one.  To  this  his  father 
replied:  ^'How  then  can  you  be  my  son,  for  there  was 
never  a  time  when  I  was  a  youth  that  I  did  not  have  a 
sweetheart !" 

He  refers  thus,  to  a  New  Year  present  some  fair  one 
had  sent  him: 

^'I  should  not  omit  to  tell  you  that  I  received  a  hand- 
some pair  of  slippers  from  Miss .     She  made  them 

entirely  herself.  Says  she  makes  her  own  shoes — that  it's 
quite  the  fashion  for  ladies  to  do  that  now.  A  wholly 
new  idea  to  me." 

A  love  affair  of  one  of  his  young  brother  ministers  is 
thus  alluded  to  in  a  letter  to  one  of  his  sisters: 

''If  you  were  here,  I  would  let  you  read  a  letter  I  have 
just  received  from  a  y(jung  brother  minister  touching 
among  other  points  on  an  expedition  recently  made  'in 
search  of  a  wife.'  He  did  not  push  matters  to  the  point 
of  popping  the  question.  He  says,  not  being  favorably 
impressed — others  say,  thinking  'twas  no  use." 

In  that  day  athletics  did  not  have  such  prominence  in 
college  life  as  now,  but  at  least  once  Mr.  Taylor  went  t<i 
his  supper  with  tingling  cheeks  and  keen  appetite.  Let 
him  tell  the  episode  himself: 

"I  repent  all  my  complaints  as  to  our  rigorous  climate 
and  retract  all  my  abuse  of  the  snow  and  ice.    Would  you 


24  LIFE    AND    LETTERS      OF 

know  why  my  sentiments  have  undergone  such  a  change? 
I  will  tell  you.  Last  night  as  I  was  dragging  my  weary 
body  home  from  a  walk  and  as  Luna  was  coming  out 
gloriously,  I  espied  several  students  sliding  (on  ex  tempore 
sleds)  down  the  hill  leading  from  my  room  to  the  Rotunda. 
The  idea  struck  me  to  slide  some  too,  so  immediately  I 
seized  one  of  said  vehicles,  crying  out,  'I  want  to  ride,' 
without  even  saying  so  much  as  'by  your  leave,'  to  the 
proprietor,  and  had  dragged  it  up  to  the  summit  of  the  hill 
before  I  thought  what  cavalier  acting  that  was.  I  apolo- 
gized ah  imo  pectore — that  means  heartily — the  good- 
natured  student  said,  'Go  it.'  I  did  go  it,  and  before  reach- 
ing the  end  of  my  row  got  fully  into  the  merits  of  the  exer- 
cise— called  out  to  'chum,'  with  whom  I  was  walking,  not  to 
wait  for  me,  T  should  slide  for  the  next  half  hour — made 
for  my  room  and  returned  with  a  sled  of  my  own — being 
nothing  more  or  less  than  a  bottomless  'split  bottom.' 
'Split  bottom'  is  the  getnts — 'bottomless'  the  differentia, 
to  use  technical  language.  The  modufi  operandi  being  to 
turn  the  chair  on  its  back,  sit  on  the  rounds — where  short- 
legged  people  sometimes  put  their  feet  when  using  the 
chair  as  such,  and  guide  with  feet  sticking  out  in  front. 
Boyishly,  joyously  I  played  a  la  Russian,  dragging  up 
and  flying  down.  The  sport  was  social  and  I  picked  quite 
a  respectable  acquaintance  with  the  young  men  engaged, 
w^hom  I  had  often  seen  but  had  not  gotten  acquainted  w^ith 
before.  The  track  could  not  have  been  finer,  a  beautiful 
slide  the  length  of  a  Richmond  square  and  a  wide  pave- 
ment— the  snow  beaten  hard  and  smooth.  I  went  into 
my  aristocratic  supper  with  a  rosebud  on  my  cheek  and 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        25 

with  a  lighter  heart.  So  now  you  know  by  this  long 
story  why  I  will  no  more  quarrel  with  the  snow.  To-day 
has  been  very  warm  and  to-night,  alas,  is  cloudy !  I  fear 
I  have  taken  my  last  ride.  Th(»  place  is  much  too  public 
for  day  exercise."  The  words  which  follow  ought  not 
to  be  omitted :  "But  here  I  am  writing  as  merrily  away 
as  if  I  hadn't  been  at  it  all  day  in  Chemistry  examination 
and  didn't  feel  exceedingly  as  Jonah  did  when  in  a  half- 
swallowed  state,  'do\\'*n  in  the  mouth.'  I'll  quit  it — write 
my  Spanish  exercise  and  off  to  bed." 

The  following  paragraph  from  a  letter  to  a  brother 
many  years  his  junior  is  in  quite  another  strain: 

"T  could  not  realize  what  my  parents  and  teachers  used 
to  tell  me,  and  why  should  I  expect  you  all  to  be  any  better  ? 
But,  oh  my  dear  boy,  I  s])eak  it  with  feeling,  do  not 
wait  till  you  are  eighteen  or  twenty  before  you  begin  to 
learn:  but  thoroughly  master  your  studies,  now,  every  day, 
and  go  right  on  improving  the  rich  opportunities  which 
you  enjoy.  What  I  say  of  intellectual  acquirements  and 
habits  of  study  is  emphatically  applicable  to  Christian 
character.  Begin  now  and  daily  seek  by  prayer  and  ivatch- 
fulness  to  restrain  your  evil  passions  and  cultivate  habits 
of  piety.  I  rejoice  that  I  can  write  to  you  as  a  believer 
in  Jesus,  for  I  know  that  even  amid  the  temptations  of 
youth  the  gospel  has  guiding,  restraining,  purifying  in- 
fluence. Ever  seek  to  live  under  that  so  blessed  influence. 
My  feelings  have  carried  me  off  thus  and  you  must  take 
what  I  say  as  coming  right  from  my  heart,  and  not  at  all 
in  the  light  of  a  lecture,  though  I  know  you  would  take 
even  that  in  good  part." 


26  LIFE   AND   LETTERS      OF 

In  another  letter  to  the  same  brother  an  incident  is 
narrated  which  reminds  us  that  the  country  then  was  even 
more  sparsely  settled  than  to-day.     Mr.  Taylor  wrote: 

'^I  heard  something  the  other  day  which  shocked  me 
much.  An  old  woman  who  lives  some  few  miles  from  here, 
in  the  Ragged  Mountains,  and  who  has  been  in  this  room 
with  her  chestnuts  to  sell,  was  killed  last  week  by  a  bear. 
Her  body  was  found  on  the  road  to  Charlottesville,  half 
devoured  and  badly  mangled.  The  bear,  which  it  is  sup- 
posed is  a  sort  of  stranger,  has  been  seen  several  times 
prowling  about.  He  probably  attacked  the  old  woman  as 
she  was  on  her  way  to  town.  I  told  ^chum'  last  night  we 
ought  to  shut  the  door  and  lock  it,  or  maybe  he  might 
take  it  into  his  head  to  quarter  with  us." 

Another  incident  in  his  life  preserved  in  a  fragment 
of  a  letter  may  not  have  occurred  at  this  period,  but  it 
accords  with  the  spirit  of  the  story  just  given.  Mr. 
Taylor  had  gone,  from  the  country  home  where  he  was 
staying,  to  the  post  office.  T^pon  starting  for  the  return 
walk,  it  being  late,  he  decided  to  try  a  short  cut  across 
the  mountain.  All  through  life  he  was  fond,  in  his  walks, 
of  discovering  a  new  way  to  come  back  and  his  "bump 
of  locality"  was  so  good  that  he  did  not  often  lose  his  way. 
Here  is  the  story,  however,  of  how  once  he  was  lost  : 

"My  conductor  left  me  ^solitary  and  alone.'  He  told 
me  something  about  keeping  down  a  fence,  crossing  a 
branch,  ascending  a  hill  and  then  striking  the  road. 
Mind  you,  all  this  time  I  had  no  path  even.  My  good  man 
told  me,  moreover,  that  if  I  should  not  succeed  in  finding 
the  way,  there  was   a  house  not  far  off  where  I  might 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        27 

obtain  a  guide,  or,  in  case  of  dire  necessity,  remain  for  the 
night.  I  followed  'the  fence,'  forded  'the  branch'  and, 
tired  as  I  was,  climbed  'the  hill.'  When  I  had  pursued 
this  way  as  long  as  directed,  and  no  road  appeared,  I  was 
sure  I  was  wrong,  and  was  most  assuredly  quite  non- 
plussed. I  determined  to  make  for  the  house  as  suggested. 
'Now  an  old  bachelor  lived  in  this  domus — he  almost  as 
lonely  as  myself.  In  spite  of  a  ferocious  dog  (which 
'they'  afterwards  said  they  wondered  didn't  bite  me)  I 
made  my  way  to  the  log  cabin — (^xcusc  my  calling  it  house 
before.  Here  I  paused  at  the  door,  which  was  stretched 
most  invitingly  open.  I  looked  in;  all  were  abed,  asleep, 
and  in  the  darkness.  'Halloa!  ho!  say,  mister,  wake  up, 
here  you!  I'm  lost,'  so  I  cried  out.  The  worthy  lord 
grunted  in  reply:  'Come  in,  stop  till  day.'  Half  asleep 
yet,  he !  'Thank  ye,  sir,  can  you  send  one  of  your  darkies 
to  escort  me  to  Mrs.  Massie's  ?  I'm  only  a  mile  off  and 
anxious  to  reach  there  to-niiiht.'  Emit  grunt  No.  2 : 
'Don't  know — s'pose  so.'  Here  I  passed  my  fingers  over 
the  face  of  my  watch  (it  was  too  dark  to  see  my  watch, 
being  very  cloudy),  and  was  surprised  to  find  it  ten 
o'clock.  This  decided  me  to  stay,  so  I  said:  'I  rather 
guess  I  will  stay — anywhere,  chair,  chest,  or  on  the  floor.' 
Grunt  No.  3 :  'There's  another  bed,  if  you  can  find  it.' 
'Mister,  I'm  so  dry.  Where's  the  spring  ?  Or  the  pail  V 
'There — here — no,  behind  you.'  Bless  me,  if  you  could 
have  seen  me,  groping  there  like  a  coal-black  blind  negro 
in  midnight  in  a  dark  cellar,  you  would  have  (just  what 
I  did  in  spite  of  my  awkward  fix  and  painful  fatigue) 
laughed.      The  water  attained,   I   quickly  seated  myself 


28  lilFE    AND   LETTERS      OF 

in  the  door  to  cool — for  I  was  drenched  (like  a  drowned 
rat)  with  perspiration  and  panting  like  a  wounded  deer. 
Mine  host  with  equal  nonchalance  recomposed  himself  to 
sleep.  Finally  I  undressed,  placing  my  watch  and  other 
valuables  in  my  hat — and  that  on  the  table  near  the  wide- 
open  door.  ]^ever  did  a  bed  feel  so  acceptable  to  tired 
limbs,  though  I  went  to  it  candleless  and  supperless.  I 
was  too  aching  to  sleep  though,  so  I  amused  myself  by 
making  ^astronomical  obser\'ations,'  not  through  the  roof, 
for  there  ivas  a  loft,  but  through  the  door,  and  obliquely 
through  the  cracks  in  the  sides,  which  were  plenty  and 
plenty  large.  To  close  in  a  word,  however,  a  long  and 
what  I  fear  you  have  thought  a  tedious  story,  bright  and 
early  next  day  I  rose,  and,  without  seeing  anybody  but 
a  darky,  pursued  my  way  to  Spring  Valley,  arriving 
just  in  time  for  breakfast.  .  .  .  Ever  since  my  ad- 
venture (which  you  must  admit  to  have  been  sui  generis) 
I  have  felt  like  a  foundered  stage  horse — stiff,  etc.  I 
hope  to  recover  before  T  try  such  a  tramp  again — must 
have  walked  at  least  eighteen  or  twenty  miles.  I  close, 
warning  all  who  may  read  this  against  'short  cuts'  across 
the  mountains." 


CHAPTER  II 

Baltimore  Pastorate  —  Marriage 

* 

'Tis  not  a  cause  of  small  import 

The  pastor's  care  demands, 
The  work  might  fill  an  angel's  heart — 

It  filled  the  Saviour's  hands. 

— Doddridge. 

Neveb  had  man  more  joyfull  day  than  this 

Whom  heaven  would  heape  with  bliss, 
Make  feast,  therefore,  now  all  this  live-long  day, 
This  day  forever  to  me  holy  is. 

— Spenser. 
* 

A  PHYSICAL  breakdown  cut  short  Mr.  Taylor's  course 
at  the  University.  He  had  undertaken  more  work  than 
would  have  been  wise  for  a  strong  man,  and  he  was  by 
no  means  strong.  No  doubt  his  physical  condition  ac- 
counts in  a  large  measure  for  many  seasons  of  mental 
depression,  approaching  morbidness.  It  was  probably  at 
such  a  time  that  he  wrote  for  the  True  Union  the  follow- 
ing: 

*^My  House !  I  have  no  house  now ;  I  do  not  know  that 
I  ever  shall  have;  /.  e.,  of  the  sort  w^hich  men  love  so  to 
build  and  live  in;  though,  I  confess,  I  often,  in  my 
thoughts,  rear  such  a  one.  But  there  is  a  house  appointed 
for  me,  though  I  do  not  know  in  what  part  of  the  world 
it  is,  or  when  I  shall  become  its  occupant.  It  is  scarcely 
so  high  as  my  head,  but  that  matters  not,  since  I  shall 


30  LIFE    AND   LETTERS      OF 

never  want  to  stand  up  in  it.  It  is  dark,  for  there  are 
no  windows  to  admit  the  sun,  and  candles  and  fires  are 
never  lighted.  It  has  but  one  room,  and  that  not  long  nor 
wide.  It  has  no  door,  for  when  once  I  go  in  I  shall  not 
come  out  again.  I  shall  occupy  it  alone.  Alas!  no, 
solitude  were  a  boon  indeed.  A  thousand  worms  shall  be 
my  fellow-lodgers.  A  silent  house!  The  howling  storm, 
the  pattering  rain,  the  din  of  business — none  of  these  shall 
reach  my  ear.  A  peaceful  house !  Then  this  head  which 
has  ached  so  often  shall  ache  no  more.  Most  probably 
my  house  is  not  alone,  but  is  one  of  many  tenements  in 
some  great  silent  city.  Eeader,  a  house  like  this  awaits 
thee  also." 

When  his  friend,  Rev.  Z.  Jeter  George,*  read  these 
lines,  he  wrote  to  the  author  of  them,  reminding  him  of 
another  house  which  was  his,  whose  maker  and  builder 
was  God;  not  a  dark  house,  but  made  bright  by  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness. 

'Not  long  after  he  left  the  University,  there  came  a  call 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  Franklin  Square  Baptist  Church, 
of  Baltimore.  This  church  had  been  organized  in  October 
of  the  preceding  year  and  five  months  later  had  occupied, 
for  the  first  time,  the  lecture  room  of  the  meeting-house  in 
process  of  erection.  Upon  this  occasion  the  sermon  had 
b(^en  preached  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  W.  M.  Williams,  pastor 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church.     Mr.  Taylor  accepted  the 


*Rev.  Z.  Jeter  George,  after  his  university  life  (during  which  time 
he  was  pastor  of  the  Mountain  Plain  Church),  became  pastor  of  the 
Manchester  Church.  His  career  of  great  promise  was  ended  by  an 
early  death.    His  funeral  was  preached  by  Rev.  Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.         31 

call  and  began  his  work  towards  the  fall  of  1855,  he  being 
the  first  pastor  of  the  church  and  the  church  being  his 
first  regular  pastorate.  At  that  time  the  Baptists  were 
not  strong  in  Baltimore.  Yet  several  of  the  pastors  Avere 
very  able  men,  one  of  them  being  the  matchless  pulpit 
orator,  Richard  Fuller.  They  did  not  have  in  those  days 
many  meeting-houses,  but  the  one  in  which  the  First 
Church  worshipped,  knowTi  as  the  ''Old  Round  Top," 
was  a  noble  edifice  and  served  as  one  of  the  landmarks 
of  the  city. 

Upon  going  to  Baltimore,  Mr.  Taylor  became  a  member 
of  the  family  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Franklin  Wilson,  whose 
wife  was  Mr.  Taylor's  first  cousin.  Mr.  Wilson  was  a 
man  of  means,  and  had  recently  moved  into  '^Oakley," 
an  unusually  handsome  home  which  he  had  built  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  city.  A  weak  throat  soon  after  his  gradu- 
ation disqualified  him  for  the  active  work  of  a  pastor,  but 
his  piety,  culture  and  ability  made  him  to  the  end  of  his 
life  (which,  notwithstanding  the  early  prophecy  of  the 
doctors,  was  a  long  one)  a  most  potent  factor  in  the 
religious  well-being  of  his  native  city  and  of  his  o^vn 
denomination.  From  his  earliest  childhood  he  had  been 
fond  of  books  and  study,  so  of  course  his  library  was 
large  and  well  selected,  and  the  very  atmosphere  of  his 
home  at  once  literary  and  religious.  This,  as  can  easily 
be  seen,  was  a  most  congenial  home  for  the  young  pastor. 

Mr.  Wilson  bought,  and  with  Mr.  Taylor  edited  for 
several  years.  The  Christian  Review.  This  periodical  was 
established  in  1836,  and  had  had  among  its  editors  such 
distinguished  men  as   Dr.   Bamas   Sears   and   Dr.    S.   F. 


32  •  LIFE    AND    LETTEES      OF 

Smith.  The  high  intellectual  plane  of  such  a  publication 
and  its  religious  character  well  accorded  with  the  ability 
and  aptitudes  of  Mr.  Taylor's  mind.  He  was  nothing 
if  not  philosophical  and  metaphysical,  and  withal  fond  of 
composition  as  well  as  of  public  speech.  Just  at  this 
period  of  his  life,  too,  the  output  of  his  mind  found 
natural  expression  not  only  in  the  pulpit  but  perhaps 
even  more  appropriately  in  the  ]^ages  of  such  a  review. 
As  he  had  not  attended  any  theological  seminary,  Balti- 
more became  his  self-made  theological  seminary.  During 
this  period  he  thought  thnnigh,  as  far  as  any  man  can 
be  said  to  do  so,  the  great  problems  offered  by  theology 
and  philosophy.  He  mastered  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
if  any  one  can  be  said  to  accomplish  this  task,  and  while 
he  had  many  seasons  of  mental  agony  and  distress,  never- 
theless he  came  out  into  a  peace  and  trust  which  were  to 
go  with  him  through  life,  growing  stronger  and  stronger 
to  the  end. 

There  was  the  lighter,  the  brighter  side  to  his  life. 
The  very  fact  that  he  was  by  no  means  strong  physically — 
a  fact  he  could  not  be  ignorant  of,  since  headaches  and 
languor,  if  not  more  serious  spells,  were  often  his  lot — 
made  much  open-air  exercise  absolutely  necessary.  So  we 
find  him  taking  frequent  walks.  In  his  longer  rambles  he 
had  very  often,  as  his  companion.  Rev.  John  Berg,  an  Eng- 
lishman, who  was  thoughtful  and  pleasant  in  conversation. 
When  the  walk  was  not  too  extended  for  the  short  legs 
of  a  small  boy,  his  cousin,  Appleton,  counted  it  a  high 
privilege  to  go  along,  and  the  young  preacher  was  so 
gentle  and  kind  that  his  habit  of  sermonizing  as  he  walked 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR^  D.  D.        33 

did  not  annoy  the  child.  Nor  was  it  alone  upon  these 
walks  that  Applet  on  enjoyed  the  companionship  of  his 
cousin,  so  far  his  senior.  The  boy  loved  to  go  to  "Cousin 
George^s  Koom,"  and  here  he  passed  many  a  happy  hour. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  willing  to  take  time  and  pains  to  amuse 
and  instruct  the  child,  now  telling  him  stories  and  now 
suggesting  ways  in  which  Appleton  could  amuse  himself. 

The  life  of  the  household  was  in  many  ways  most 
delightful.  At  the  table,  and  in  the  evening,  the  im- 
portant events  and  books  of  the  day  were  apt  to  pass 
under  discussion,  and  the  progress  of  the  city  along 
material  as  well  as  religious  lines  was  always  of  great 
interest  to  the  pe<)i)le"  at  "Oakley.-'  Frequent  drives  to 
various  places  in  the  suburbs  of  Baltimore  were  taken,  and 
now  and  then  longer  trips  were  the  order  of  the  day. 
Gustave  Burger,  an  ingenious  and  kindly  German,  who 
was  the  gardener  and  general  utility  man,  became  a 
valuable  and  valued  uiember  of  the  household.  With 
his  cooperation  many  schemes  were  carried  through 
which  delighted  Ap])leton,  and  were  not  without  interest 
for  the  older  people.  For  example,  a  balloon  was  con- 
structed, sent  upon  a  voyage,  recovered,  and  started  out 
upon  a  second  flight ;  then  one  year  there  was  a  Christmas 
tree,  which,  even  in  Baltimore,  preeminently  a  city  of 
Christmas  trees,  must  have  been  unique  and  worth  more 
than  passing  notice.  Mr.  Taylor,  with  his  Virginia 
bringing  up,  was  so  partial  to  open  fireplaces  and  wood 
fires,  and  so  expatiated  on  such  a  method  of  heating,  that 
he  not  only  was  allowed  to  introduce  the  open  fire  in  his 
own  room,  but  also  succeeded  in  persuading  Mr.  Wilson  to 


34  LIFE    AND    LETTERS      OF 

have  in  the  library,  in  addition  to  the  furnace,  a  wood 
fire,  brass  andirons  and  all.  Even  Baltimore,  at  that  day, 
or  at  least  the  outskirts  of  Baltimore,  did  not  have  some 
of  the  comforts  of  our  present  city  homes,  however  humble ; 
Mr.  Wilson  provided  water  for  the  household  by  a  cistern, 
but  this  supply  being  inadequate  for  bathing,  the  house 
had  no  bath-room.  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Taylor's  first 
winter  in  Baltimore  the  weather  was  very  severe,  and,  as 
all  the  streets  around  '^Oakley"  had  not  been  paved,  it 
was  often  through  mud  and  mire  that  the  faithful  trio 
made  their  way  with  a  commendable  zeal  to  the  various 
meetings  of  the  young  church. 

The  work  of  the  church  went  on  well.  It  is  probably 
often,  if  not  always,  true  that  a  preacher  does  not  do  his 
best  work  in  his  first  pastorate,  or  in  the  first  years  of  his 
first  pastorate.  It  seems  certain  that  Mr.  Taylor  im- 
proved as  a  preacher  after  leaving  Baltimore,  but  perhaps 
this  gain  was  in  the  way  of  a  more  popular  style,  rather 
than  in  the  subject  matter  of  his  sermons.  He  may  have 
been  inclined  to  preach  over  the  heads  of  his  people, 
and  as  he  was  studying  the  book  of  Romans  and  thus 
the  deep  things  of  the  gospel,  it  is  probable  that  his  ser- 
mons took  tinge  and  tone  from  his  studies,  nay,  from  his 
mental  anguish  and  agony.  It  has  been  seen  already  that 
he  had  a  fondness  for  children  and  the  gift  of  attracting 
and  helping  them.  This  talent  was  to  receive  large 
development  and  to  be  used  with  great  blessing  in  later 
years.  In  Baltimore  he  began  preaching  to  children. 
The  House  of  Refuge,  of  which  institution  Mr.  Wilson 
w^as   a   trustee,   with   its  many  young  people,   even  more 


IJEV.    (iEORGE    BOARDMAX    TAYLOR,    D.    D.  35 

than  his  church,  gave  scope  for  Mr.   Taylor's  ability  to 
reach  the  heads  and  hearts  of  the  young. 

During  his  l]altiin(»re  life  Mr.  Taylor  was  invited  to 
make  the  first  alumni  oration  ever  delivered  at  Richmond 
College.  The  subject  of  his  address  on  this  occasion  is 
characteristic  of  the  man,  and  preeminently  so  of  this 
period  of  his  life.  One  who  was  a  student  at  Richmond 
College  at  that  time,  who  heard  the  oration,  and  who 
since  then  has  risen  to  distinguished  place,  both  as  a  public 
speaker  and  a  preaclicr,  thus  describes  the  occasion: 

''On  entering  the  place  for  the  performance  I  saw  on 
the  platform  a  small  figure  of  a  man  ^vith  soft,  mildly 
reddish  hair,  a  fixed  stoop  in  his  shoulders,  with  a  face 
which  bespoke  the  student,  and  an  eye  which  was  deep 
in  its  blue  and  seemed  made  for  emitting  kindness.  He 
did  not  please  me  as  he  came  forward  to  speak  and  his 
voice  was  not  quite  satisfactory,  but  he  was  young  and  did 
not  assume  nor  shiver.  He  was  manifestly  there  to  say 
something.  His  theme  was  'The  Thinker,'  and  from  his 
first  word  he  seized  me;  I  had  heard  no  man  so  young 
who  seemed  to  know  things  so  well  and  could  frame  them 
so  wisely.  With  it  all  was  an  evident  dissatisfaction  Avith 
himself,  unexpressed  and  yet  most  evident.  .  . 
I  did  not  meet  the  ahimni  orator  on  the  occasicm  of  his 
address,  but  I  saw  men  and  women  shaking  hands  with 
him  in  a  pleased  way  and  knew  that  he  hit  the  nail  on 
the  head." 

In  May,  1857,  Mr.  Taylor  attended  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  in  Louisville  and  was  elected  one  of 
the  recording  secretaries  of  that  body,  a  position  to  which 


36  LIFE    AND   LETTERS      OF 

he  was  reelected  at  four  succeeding  sessions.  On  this 
trip  he  was  much  with  his  friend  of  college  and  univer- 
sity days,  Rev.  Z.  Jeter  George,  and  discovered  in  him 
the  ability  to  introduce^  with  tact  the  subject  of  religion. 
Mr.  Taylor  says : 

''During  our  association  together  in  Louisville  I  was 
much  impressed  by  his  disposition  to  speak  with  uncon- 
verted persons  on  personal  religion,  and  by  his  happ}^ 
manner  of  securing  their  good  will,  and  then  introducing 
the  subject.  We  were  with  a  number  of  lively  young- 
ladies,  and  I  remember  that  mv  first  thouoht  was  that 
Jeter  had  entered  too  much  into  their  conversation;  but 
I  subsequently  was  led  to  believe  that  he  was  really 
aiming,  and  not  without  prospect  of  success,  to  do  them 
good.  A  few  weeks  before  his  death,  he  told  me  of  a 
letter  received  from  one  of  these  young  ladies,  in  which, 
to  some  of  his  earnest  inquiries,  she  rej^lied  that  she 
could  not  be  indifferent  to  her  own  soul,  when  he,  a 
stranger,  had  manifested  such  anxiety  for  its  salvation." 

During  the  latter  part  of  his  Baltimore  pastorate,  Mr. 
Taylor  filled  one  Sunday  the  pulpit  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Fredericksburg.  This  visit  was  a  most  event- 
ful one  for  him,  since  here  he  met  for  the  first  time 
her  who  was  ere  long  to  become  his  wife  and  to  be  for 
the  rest  of  his  life  a  noble  inspiration.  Upon  a  return 
to  Fredericksburg  for  the  express  purpose  of  seeing  the 
lovely  one  who  had  charmed  him,  alas,  he 

"...         rin»s  the  gateway  bell 
And  learns  her  gone  and  far  from  home; 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        37 

"He  saddens,  all  the  magic  light 
Dies  off  at  once  from  bower  and  hall, 
And  all  the  place  is  dark,  and  all 
The  chambers  emptied  of  delight." 

He  was  not,  however,  easily  foiled  in  his  purpose,  so 
hearing  that  the  family  was  at  a  certain  watering  place 
in  the  Virginia  mountains,  he  sets  out  thith(T.  He  is 
just  too  late !  The  family  has  gone  on  to  yet  another  of 
the  many  Virginia  Springs.  Possibly  again  he  was  too 
late,  but  finally  his  perseverance  was  rewarded.  Nor  was 
his  suit  for  the  fair  one's  hand  less  successful.  In  due 
time  the  engagement  was  announced  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  May  13th,  1858,  the  marriage  took  place  at  ^'Hazel 
Hill,"  the  home,  on  the  edge  of  Fredericksburg,  of  Mr. 
J.  Warren  Slaughter,  his  wife  being  a  sister  of  the  bride. 
It  would  be  hard  to  find  anywhere  a  more  beautiful  home 
than  ''Hazel  Hill."  It  is  approached  from  the  town, 
after  the  stately  gateway  is  passed,  through  a  long  avenue 
of  noble  trees.  In  front  of  the  house  the  grounds  fell 
away  in  terraces  to  ''Hazel  Kuu,"  and  in  the  rear  a  typical 
old-fashioned  Virginia  garden,  with  vegetable  beds  all 
having  borders  of  box  or  flowers,  sloped  gradually  towards 
the  broad  waters  of  the  placid  Rappahannock.  The  house 
itself,  with  its  large  hall,  spacious  rooms,  broad  veranda, 
ample  greenhouse,  covered  ways  to  the  kitchen,  quaint 
attic  and  lofty  belvedere  was  indeed  the  home  of 

"Free-Hearted  Hospitality; 
His  great  fires  up  the  chimney  roared, 
The  stranger  feasted  at  his  board." 

It  was  here  on  a  lovely  morning  in  May  that  Susan 
Spottiswoode  Braxton  became  Mr.   Taylor's  bride.      She 


38  LIFE    AND    LETTERS      OF 

Avas  a  daughter  of  Carter  Braxtou,  her  mother's  maiden 
name  having  been  Elizabeth  Teackle  Mayo.  She  was  a 
great-granddaughter  of  Carter  Braxton,  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  was  one  of  four 
sisters  famous  at  once  for  their  beauty  and  their  charm- 
ing personality.  It  is  said  that  Oncken,  the  famous  Ger- 
man Baptist,  declared  that  Sallie  Braxton  was  the  most 
beautiful  woman  he  saw  while  in  America.  A  distin- 
guished gentleman,  for  many  years  an  honored  citizen  of 
Richmond,  was  wont  to  tell  how,  when  a  boy,  he  used  to 
watch  with  bated  breath  as  Sallie  and  Susan  Braxton 
])assed  up  the  aisle  at  old  J3ruington  Church  in  King 
and  Queen — a  vision  of  beauty  he  had  never  seen  equalled 
in  all  the  years  thereafter.  One  who  came  to  know  best 
of  all  the  bride  of  that  May  morning,  some  years  ago 
wrote  these  words,  telliug  in  part  the  story  of  her  earlier 
days: 

''Mrs.  Tayhjr  was  the  second  daughter  of  the  late  Carter 
and  Elizabeth  Mayo  Braxton,  and  was  born  at  'Hungers/ 
the  family  residence,  Northampton  County,  Virginia. 
Most  of  her  childhood  and  early  youth  was  spent  in  the 
country,  where  she  enjoyed  few  formal  educational  ad- 
vantages, but  under  the  guidance  of  a  singularly  wise  and 
cultured  mother,  read  extensively  the  best  works  of  fiction, 
poetry  and  history  which  formed  her  taste  and  were  for 
a  permanent  possession;  while,  by  associating  with  the 
refined  and  intelligent,  she  acquired  that  general  informa- 
tion and  those  graces  which  schools  rarely  give.  When 
she  was  about  sixteen  her  father  and  mother  died  in  quick 
succession,  leaving  her,  with  five  sisters  and  a  brother,  in 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        39 

the  care  of  a  maiden  aunt  in  Fredericksburg.  Upon 
Snsan  and  her  eldest  sister,  the  late  Mrs.  Slaughter,  restc  d 
much  of  the  responsibility  of  training  the  younger 
children.  From  her  earliest  childhood  she  had  learned  to 
love  the  Saviour,  and  now  with  her  sister  she  was  baptized 
in  the  Rappahannock  by  Rev.  Samuel  Smith,  pastor  in 
Fredericksburg.  Thus  they  followed  the  exam])le  of  their 
mother,  who,  reared  an  E]iisco])aHan,  became  from  con- 
viction a  Baptist  and  was  immersed  in  Xorfolk  bv  Dr. 
Howell.  Even  those  wh(»  do  not  hold  Baptist  views  can 
admire  the  heroism  of  a  girl,  who,  obedient  to  what  she 
felt  the  voice  of  duty,  identified  herself  with  the  little 
l^aptist  Church,  ])oor,  and  \voi-shi])))iiig  iu  a  mean  building 
on  the  river-side,  and  in  a  measure  cut  herself  off  from 
those  who  were  her  natural  associates.  From  the  Ix- 
ginning  she  was  an  active  worker  in  the  church  and  full 
of  the  missionary  s])irit,  while  she  was  generally  loved 
and  admired  in  the  town  for  her  piety  as  well  as  for  her 
charms  of  person  and  manner.'' 

On  the  wedding  trip  Baltimore  and  Richmond  were 
visited.  Young  ])eople  nowadays  might  think  that  going 
to  a  prayer-meeting  would  be  untimely  on  the  wedding 
journey;  not  so  with  this  preacher  and  his  bride.  One 
who  was  at  that  time  a  Richmond  College  student  writes 
thus  of  this  occasion : 

^'Just  before  my  graduation  I  was  one  night  at  the 
Grace  Street  Church  prayer-meeting  and  found  this 
young  minister  present  with  his  bride,  they  being  on  a 
visit  to  his  parents.  How  modestly  proud  he  w^as  as  he 
presented  that  fair  treasure  of  his  soul  to  his  old  church 


40  LIFE    AI^D    LETTERS    OF 

friends,  and  was  met  with  joyous  congratulations  on  every 
side !" 

The  wedding  journey  went  well,  the  woi'se  mishap 
that  befell  the  young  cou]>le  being  the  burning  up  of 
the  wedding  bonnet,  which  caught  fire  from  the  lamp  on 
the  hall  steps.  All  were  so  thankful  tliat  the  bride's 
fair  face  escaped  unhurt  I 

Some  months  before  his  uiarriagc,  Mr.  Taylor  had 
resigned  his  church  in  Baltimore  to  accept  a  call  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in  Staunton,  the  chief 
town  of  the  beautiful  and  famous  ""Valley  of  Virginia.'' 
It  was  thither,  therefore,  that  Mr.  Taylor  now  took  his 
young  bride.  The  story  of  the  years  spent  in  Staunton 
umst  be  left  for  another  chapter. 


.::  c 


z  P 


•=  f. 


CHAPTER  III 

Fir^  Pailorate  in  Staunton  — The  Civil  War 

He  taughte,  but  first  he  followed  it  hiinselve. 

Under  the  sod  and  the  dew, 
Waiting  the  judgment  day ; 

Love  and  tears  for  the  Blue, 
Tears  and  love  for  the  Gray. 

— Francis  Miles  Finch. 


Had  Mr.  Taylor's  first  pastorate  been  a  prophecy? 
Was  he  always  to  fill  difficult  positions?  The  soil  of 
Baltimore  from  the  first  has  been  peculiarly  barren  for 
Baptists.  Staunton  in  these  early  days  was  a  difficult 
field  for  the  Baptists,  though  now  one  hears  no  longer  the 
old  saying  that  Baptists  and  sweet  potatoes  will  not  grow 
west  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  How  hard  was  the  field  to 
which  he  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life!  ''Beautiful  for 
situation,"  the  long  line' of  the  Blue  Ridge  to  the  east  and 
the  billowy  Alleghanies  to  the  west,  Staunton  lies  in  the 
heart  of  Augusta,  one  of  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most 
fertile  counties  in  the  Old  Dominion.  It  is  a  mountain 
town,  though  not  "cabin'd,  cribb'd,  cunfin'd"  by  the 
mountains;  they  are  far  enough  away  to  gain  the  "azure 
hue,"  of  which  the  poet  Campbell  speaks.  The  surround- 
ing country  is  famous  for  its  splendid  wheat,  fine  cattle 


42  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  fruit.  In  the  town  are  located  two  admirably 
managed  state  institutions,  each  with  extensive  and  at- 
tractive grounds,  one  for  the  deaf,  dumb  and  blind,  and 
the  other  for  the  insane;  and  one  or  more  schools  for  the 
higher  education  of  young  women,  drawing  students 
from  many  Southern  States,  have  for  years  flourished  here. 

The  story  of  the  origin  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Staunton  and  of  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Taylor's  work  there 
is  best  told  by  his  pen.  At  the  50th  anniversary  of  the 
Staunton  Church,  celebrated  at  the  meeting  of  the  General 
Association,  November  15th,  1903,  Dr.  Taylor  in  his 
historical  sermon  said: 

''  .  .  .  In  the  wise  and  beautiful  economy  of 
nature,  seeds,  even  the  tiniest  and  frailest,  are  not  only 
wonderfully  i^reserved,  but  widely  distributed,  travelling 
free  on  trains  and  Avains,  and  as  unconsciously  scattered 
by  all  animals,  and  especially  by  the  birds  of  the  air,  as 
by  the  winds  themselves.  So  it  is  with  the  realm  of 
thought  and  spirit, — opinions,  doctrines,  having  wonder- 
ful vitality  and  many  ways  for  their  dissemination;  and 
as  with  natural  seed,  so  it  is  with  that  of  the  spirit,  there 
being  the  precious,  the  imperfect,  the  useless,  and  the 
hurtful,  tares  and  wheat  competing  with  each  other  till 
the  day  of  separation.  We  are  apt  to  think  of  the  evangel- 
ist or  the  press  as  almost  the  only  agents  in  bearing  to 
new  places  the  Word  of  God  or  any  peculiar  form  of 
doctrine,  practice,  or  worship,  losing  sight  of  the  fact 
that  a  large  part  of  this  work  has  been  done  by  the  immi- 
gration of  individuals  and  peoples  carrying  with  them  to 
their  new  homes  the  religions  which  were  a  part  of  their 


KEV.  GKOEGE  BOAKDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        4:3 

lives.  To  limit  ourselves  only  to  Virginia,  we  see  how  the 
English  brought  to  Eastern  Virginia  their  Episcopacy, 
which  for  a  time  was  established  even  as  in  the  old 
country;  the  Scotch-Irish  to  this  beautiful  valley  Presby- 
terianism,  and  the  German  Baptists  the  doctrine  of  be- 
lievers' baptism.  Let  me  ask,  in  passing,  if  our  de- 
nomination ought  not  to  seek  closer  relations  with  these 
our  brethren,  so  near  to  us  in  doctrine  and  practice  and  so 
honorable  in  the  affairs  of  life  (  In  the  Roanoke  Times 
the  excess  of  taxes  paid  in  was  explained  by  the  specially 
honest  returns  made  by  the  Dunkards,  or  German  Baptists, 
of  the  county,  to  whom  that  enterprising  newspaper  paid 
a  merited  tribute  as  upright,  excellent  citizens. 

''In  like  manner  individuals  removing  to  new  regions 
have  borne  with  them  their  religious  principles  and  pro- 
claimed them  where  they  were  not  knowm.  Thus  came 
into  existence  the  church  in  Itome  to  which  Paul  wrote 
his  great  epistle,  a  church  composed  of  those  who  heard 
Peter's  sermon  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  or  of  those  who 
received  the  gospel  in  other  times  and  places,  and  who  for 
their  earthly  interests  had  removed  to  Rome,  then  the 
world's  chief  centre.  Thus  was  born  our  sister,  the  first 
Baptist  Church  of  Charlottesville,  chiefly  through  the  in- 
fluence, the  prayers,  the  labors  of  one  or  two  heroic  women. 
Such  also  is  the  case  of  this  Baptist  Church  in  Staunton, 
owing  its  origin  primarily  not  to  any  minister,  but  to  the 
Providence  of  God,  which  led  several  Baptists,  chiefly 
from  Albemarle  County,  to  cross  the  Blue  Ridge  and 
settle  here — men  and  women  who,  instead  of  abandoning 
their  religious  principles,  as  so  many  do  in  similar  cir- 


44  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

cumstances,  held  them  firmly,  so  that  neglected  New 
Testament  doctrines  and  practices  were  planted,  and  to-day 
fl.ourish  not  alone  in  Staunton,  but  elsewhere  in  this 
Valley. 

''Let  this  be  a  lesson  to  you,  my  brother,  my  sister,  if 
business  or  marriage  or  health  should  lead  you  to  some 
other  place.  Stand  to  your  colors,  hold  fast,  profess  and 
proclaim  those  truths  which  you  have  learned  from  the 
Word  of  God,,  so  shall  you  be  blessed  and  a  blessing. 
Yea,  and  what  a  kvsson  is  here  for  teaching  our  children 
and  indoctrinating  our  members,  so  that  they  may  be 
fully  persuaded  as  to  the  system  of  doctrine  and  duty 
and  ecclesiastical  march  Avhich  we,  as  Christians  and 
Baptists,  hold  from  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  that  they 
may  be  ready  to  give  an  answer  to  every  one  that  asketh 
them  as  to  the  faith  that  is  in  them. 

''But  there  was  another  coojx'ratiug  cause  in  the  forma- 
tion of  this  church.  In  the  latter  ]»art  of  the  first  half  of 
the  nineteenth  century  the  Goshen  Association,  one  of  the 
oldest  in  Virginia,  composed  of  some  two-score  of  churches 
in  the  counties  of  Spottsylvania,  Caroline,  Orange,  and 
Louisa,  began  to  carry  on  independent  evangelizing  work, 
and,  under  the  leadership  of  Littlebury  W.  Allen  and 
James  D.  Coleman,  raised  large  sums  and  sent  missionaries 
to  various  strategic  points.     One  of  these  was  Staunton. 

"When  we  think  of  the  great  work  done  by  the  State 
Mission  Board,  it  seems  strange  that  places  so  important 
as  Harrisonburg,  Winchester,  and  Staunton  should  have 
been  so  long  neglected.  A  partial  explanation  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  what  is  now  West  Virginia  absorbed  most 


KEV.    GEOliGE    BOARD.MAX    TAVLOK,    D.    D.  45 

of  the  means  contributed  for  State  missions.  Our  older 
ministers,  too,  rather  shrank  from  towns  and  cities,  pre- 
ferring to  labor  in  the  country.  It  is  pleasant  to  me 
that  my  own  father,  at  a  very  early  date,  not  only  plead 
for  evangelizing  this  part  of  the  Valley,  but  when  chap- 
lain of  the  Fniversity  of  Virginia,  in  the  session  of 
1839-'40,  came  (tver  in  the  stage  and  preached  at  least 
once  in  this  city.  But  now  the  set  time  for  planting  a 
Baptist  Church  here  had  fully  come,  and  the  chosen 
instrument  was  the  Rev.  S.  B.  Rice,  M.  D.,  who  had  been 
])astor  of  Mount  [Moriah  Church,  in  Amherst  County, 
and  of  Adiel,  in  Nelson. 

'^During  the  meeting  of  the  Baptist  General  Associa- 
tion in  Richmond,  in  the  year  1886,  I  had  a  pleasant 
conversation  with  the  Rev.  A.  B.  Brown,  who  said  that 
he  was  about  to  prei)are  a  sketch  of  the  life  and  character 
of  the  late  Dr.  Rice.  It  seems  that  the  two  men  had 
once  been  intimate.  Brown,  who  was  the  younger,  pre- 
ferring, although  an  Episcopalian  at  the  time,  to  attend 
the  ministry  of  Rice.  It  was  also  in  part  through  the 
elder  man  that  Brown,  with  his  eminent  worth  and  gifts, 
became  a  Baptist.  The  biographical  notice  in  question 
was  never  written,  as  in  a  few  days  after  our  conversation 
he  who  was  so  wonderfully  endowed  for  the  understanding 
and  delineating  of  character,  and  who  had  in  this  case 
the  requisite  knowledge  and  personal  affection,  became 
himself  the  unconscious  subject  of  the  loving  and  mourn- 
ful eulogies  of  his  brethren.  It  is  an  irreparable  loss, 
but  we  know  that  Dr.  Rice  was  a  man  of  imposing  presence, 
and  that  he  had  the  gifts  and  experience  necessary  for 


40  LIFE    A^^D    LETTERS    OF 

the  pioneer  work  which  he  came  to  accomplish.  Through 
him  the  resident  Baptists  were,  in  October,  1853,  gathered 
together,  forming  this  church.  Thirteen  members  united 
in  the  organization.  Thenceforward  the  bulk  of  his  time 
and  strength  was  given  to  raising  funds  for  the  erection 
of  the  church  house,  which  was  seen  to  be  a  prime  neces- 
sity. Brains  and  hearts  certainly  mean  more  than  bricks, 
but  as  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  calling  from  the  old 
country  able  professors,  saw  the  need  of  Iniildings  before 
opening  our  State  Fnivorsity,  so  a  local  habitation  was 
felt  to  be  essential  to  the  mission  of  this  church.  After 
the  brethren  and  sisters  here  had  done  what  they  could, 
Dr.  Rice  travelled  all  over  Eastern  Virginia,  largely  in  a 
private  conveyance,  visiting  not  only  the  town  and  city 
churches,  bul  those  of  the  coinitry  as  well,  telling  of  the 
labors  and  sacritices  specially  of  one  of  the  members 
here, — how  her  skillful  and  busy  fingers  wrought  ever 
in  the  interest  of  the  luiilding  that  was  to  be.  At  the  lay- 
ing of  the  corner-stone  Dr.  J.  L.  Burrows  delivered  an 
address;  Dr.  B.  M.  Smith,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
offered  prayer,  and  Rev.  L.  W.  Allen,  in  his  own  peculiar 
way,  told  the  people  not  to  despise  the  Baptists  because 
few  and  almost  unknowTi  in  the  Valley,  for  over  the 
mountains  they  o^^^led  a  large  share  of  the  land  and  the 
negroes,  too.  The  building  rose  slowly,  some  prophesying 
that  it  would  never  see  completion.  To  me  in  the  year 
1855,  passing  through  the  toAvn,  the  work  seemed  sus- 
pended, but  later  it  was  reported  to  the  Albemarle  Asso- 
ciation that  the  lecture  room  was  ready  for  use,  and  in 
it  I  believe  a  Sunday  school  was  gathered. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        47 

"In  the  summer  of  1857,  Dr.  S.  B.  Kice  having  con- 
cluded his  labors,  and  at  the  close  of  my  own  pastorate 
of  two  years  in  Baltimore,  I  was  invited  to  become  pastor 
of  this  church.  Asking  the  advice  of  Dr.  Jeter,  I  said: 
'There  are,  I  believe,  no  leading  members.'  'That  does 
not  matter,'  replied  my  counsellor,  'if  they  are  following 
members ;  you  do  the  leading,'  and  most  beautifully  did 
the  brethren  here  from  the  first  help  and  cooperate  with 
their  young  pastor,  there  being  then,  and  for  nearly  the 
whole  of  my  pastorate,  no  kinsman  of  Diotrophes. 

"My  pastorate  of  the  Franklin  Square  Baptist  Church, 
Baltimore,  had  not  been  without  blessing  to  others,  at 
least  a  few  of  the  numerous  converts  being  my  very  own 
spiritual  children.  To  me  it  was  a  period  of  great  distress, 
but  of  great  usefulness,  for  the  theological  problems 
which,  as  Sir  William  Hamilton  says,  emerge  first  in 
philosophy,  had  begun  to  trouble  me  while  still  a  univer- 
sity student,  and  they  went  with  me  to  Baltimore ;  but 
by  the  great  mercy  of  God  I  was  led  during  that  period 
of  storm  and  stress  and  fiery  temptation  to  a  sufficiently 
satisfactory  solution  of  those  problems,  though  leaving, 
indeed,  as  one  ever  must,  a  certain  insoluble  residuum 
for  faith,  certainly  in  this  world,  perhaps  also  in  the  world 
to  come,  for  a  finite  creature  can  never  comprehend, 
though  he  may  apprehend,  the  Infinite  One. 

"I  came,  therefore,  to  Staunton  with  new  courage  and 
new  hope,  my  preaching,  too,  becoming  less  apologetic 
and  more  boldly  that  of  a  herald,  who,  believing,  therefore 
spake. 

"!Never  had  a  youthful  minister  kinder  or  more  appre- 


48  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

ciative  members  than  those  I  found  here.  Few  they  were, 
indeed,  a  mere  handful,  but  good  as  gold.  To  speak  only 
of  the  departed,  there  w^as  Simpson  F.  Taylor,  a  hard- 
working, simple-hearted  man,  who  had  accumulated  a 
modest  estate  by  managing  farms  in  Albemarle  County. 
He  loved  the  gospel,  this  church,  and  its  minister  with 
an  affection  that  held  nothing  back,  and  made  me  feel 
from  the  first  that  he  would  share  equally  with  me  all 
that  he  had,  according  to  my  need.  He  made  little  figure 
in  the  community,  a  humble,  unobtrusive  man,  but  he  was 
a  devoted  Christian  and  a  pillar  in  the  church.  What  he 
and  his  wife  were  is  best  told  by  the  fine  character  and 
excellent  work  of  their  sou,  John  H.  Taylor,  who,  an 
exception  to  the  j)roverb,  has  b(H'n  for  two-score  years  'a 
prophet  in  his  own  country,'  serving,  among  others,  the 
Laurel  Hill  Church,  in  which  he  was  converted.  William 
H.  Peyton,  in  his  business  relations,  had  been  thrown 
much  among  worldly  men,  and  not  without  injury  to  his 
piety,  but  he  had  the  root  of  the  matter  in  him,  and  he 
was  a  generous  spirit,  susceptible  through  affection  of 
great  development  both  as  to  gifts  and  graces.  For  a 
long  time  he  found  it  impossible  to  shape  his  lips  to  say 
the  word  'brother,'  but  that  was  acquired,  and  he  learned 
to  pray  and  exhort  most  acceptably  in  the  prayer-meeting 
and  became  a  capital  Sunday-school  superintendent. 
Tender  loving  pressure  of  the  truth,  he  came  to  feel  the 
inconsistency  of  owning  the  bar  of  the  Virginia  Hotel, 
and  after  first  restricting  it,  he  finally,  as  the  only  way 
recognized  as  possible,  parted  with  the  hotel  itself,  in 
which  how  many  ministers   and  others   had  been  enter- 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        49 

tained  gratis !  He  was  ever  a  friend  to  every  good  minis- 
ter and  his  ])astor's  right  hand.  The  last  time  I  saw 
Brother  Peyton  I  recognized  that  he  had  outrun  me  in 
the  heavenly  race,  and  was  able  to  strengthen  my  own 
faith  by  his  sinij^le  trust  under  pressure  of  illness  and 
face  to  face  with  the  last  enemy.  The  aged  Brother  And- 
erson, a  slave  of  Simpson  F.  Taylor,  had  for  years  made 
it  his  prayer  that  a  Ba]^tist  Church  might  be  planted  in 
Staunton,  and,  like  Simeon,  lived  to  see  the  answer  to  his 
prayer.  Two  other  colored  persons,  free  born,  Mrs.  Laura 
Campbell  and  lici"  venerable  mother,  members  of  this 
church,  esteemed  in  the  whole  community,  were  the  ex- 
cellent of  the  earth,  helpers  of  my  joy,  earnest  listeners 
to  the  preached  word,  ready  to  every  good  work.  One 
other  name  must  be  added,  that  of  Alexander  Pope  Abell, 
who  had  indeed  returned  to  Charlottesville  before  I  came 
to  Staunton,  but  whose  work  I  found  in  a  good  Sunday 
school. 

"The  sunnner  of  1857  is  notable  and  dear  to  me  as  the 
season  in  which  I  was  called  to  the  sole  remaining  pastorate 
of  my  life,  and  in  which  God  gave  me  her  who  was  destined 
for  more  than  a  (|uarter  of  a  century  to  be  the  greatest 
possible  blessing  of  my  life,  a  blessing  to  this  church,  and 
to  our  church  in  Rome.  About  the  first  of  November 
in  that  year  the  brethren  informed  me  that  the  building 
was  finished,  and  begged  me  to  come  at  once,  and  almost 
exactly  forty-six  years  ago,  simultaneously  with  the  com- 
ing of  the  Episcopal  minister,  Mr.  Latane,  and  the  Pres- 
byterian pastor,  Mr.  Baker,  I  preached  the  first  sermon 
in  the  then  new  church.     From  that  day  an  era  of  pros- 


50  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

perity  began.  The  Sunday  school  increased  in  numbers 
and  efficiency.  Congregations  were  large  and  attentive, 
and  several  stray  Baptists  were  hunted  up  and  gathered 
in.  Several  persons  who  had  been  immersed  by  an 
itinerant  Campbellite  minister  were  accepted  as  members, 
the  church,  at  my  suggestion,  having  decided  to  accept 
without  rebaptism  such  as  had  been  inmiersed  on  a  pro- 
fession of  personal  faith  in  Christ  without  having  im- 
bibed any  of  the  ju'culiar  views  originating  with  Alexander 
Campbell.  This  is  mentioned  simply  as  a  fact  in  the 
history  of  the  church.  There  being  still  a  debt  on  the 
building,  though  not  at  all  pressing,  T  made  short  collect- 
ing trips,  chiefly  between  Sundays,  and  secured  a  con- 
siderable sum. 

''Before  the  po])ulai'  interest  due  to  novelty  had  seriously 
waned,  the  cause  received  a  new  impulse  through  a  pro- 
tracted meeting  begun  with  the  preaching  of  Dr.  John 
A.  Broadus  and  followed  up  with  that  of  Dr.  Cornelius 
Tyree.  It  was  a  time  of  great  blessing,  and  many  who 
proved  themselves  valuable  members  were  added  as  one 
of  its  precious  fruits.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Summerson,  Mr. 
J.  B.  Hoge,  and  the  Misses  Pemberton  were  among  the 
converts  of  that  revival  season. 

"From  having  enjoyed  a  certain  popularity  the  Baptist 
pastor  now  became,  with  some,  very  unpopular.  Let  me 
explain.  After  I  had  resigned  the  care  of  this  church 
in  1873,  ^Ir.  Latane,  who  had  also  resigned  the  care  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  said  to  me :  'A  meeting  of  ministers 
was  called  early  in  your  pastorate  to  make  you  leave 
Staunton,  although  I  explained  to  them  that  it  would  be 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        51 

impossible,  but  yon.  Dr.  Taylor,  hearing  of  the  call  and 
knowing  nothing  of  the  object,  came  to  the  meeting,  which 
put  an  end  to  the  project.'  It  is  certain  that  in  this 
instance  ignorance  was  to  me  better  even  than  bliss,  for 
it  served  me  as  no  wisdom  could  have  done,  and  from  that 
time  fairly  good  and  in  some  cases  intimate  relations 
with  the  ministers  were  established,  and  after  a  while  the 
Protestant  ministers  of  the  town  met  every  Monday  night 
at  each  other's  houses  to  sup,  to  pray  and  plan  for  the 
religious  interests  of  the  community.  There  was  also  for 
a  time  a  partial  exchange  of  pulpits.  Thus  the  Baptist 
Church  became  an  element  of  peace  in  Staunton.  Before 
its  coming  there  had  l(>ng  been  a  notorious  lack  of  good 
feeling  between  Presbyterians  and  Episcopalians.  This 
was  changed  for  the  better  in  the  presence  of  a  common 
adversary,  and  later  the  era  of  good  feeling  embraced  all 
the  churches  of  the  city,  and  has  lasted  until  to-day. 

^'I  was  not  yet  twenty-five  years  old  when  I  came  to 
Staunton,  full  of  the  audacity  of  youth.  It  was  perhaps 
that  audacity  alone  which  led  nie,  carrying  out  a  sug- 
gestion of  my  great  master.  Dr.  Gessner  Harrison,  to 
attempt  the  catechising  of  the  church.  In  fact,  despite 
the  protests  of  various  sisters,  I  did  carry  the  church 
through  Dr.  Boyce's  catechism  for  adults.  Perhaps  it 
would  have  been  wiser  to  give,  instead,  a  course  of  lectures 
on  Christian  doctrine. 

"The  young  pastor  had  his  petty  embarrassments^  some 
of  which  are  now  viewed  with  amusement.  There  was  an 
old  woman  who  had  the  habit  of  mounting  into  the  pulpit 
to  ask  him  the  most  trivial  questions.     Once,  however,  he 


52  LIFE    ANT)    LETTERS    OF 

had  the  better  of  her.  On  one  of  his  visits  to  her  house 
she  said :  'I  have  had  a  revelation,  and  wish  you  to  tell  me 
whether  it  is  from  God  or  Satan.'  'State  your  revelation.' 
^It  is  revealed  to  me  that  I  must  preach.'  'What  do  you 
mean  ?  Stand  up  in  the  pulpit  as  I  do  and  address  the 
congregation?'  'Just  that.'  Laying-  my  hand  ui)on  her 
arm  I  said :  'Satan,  my  sister.'  'Do  you  think  so  C  'I  am 
sure  of  it.'  'Well,  then,  I  give  it  up.'  Well  were  it  if 
many  of  the  false  s])irits  of  to-day  were  as  easily  laid!" 

Elsewhere  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  as  follows  concerning  the 
first  Simday  of  his  Staunton  pastorate: 

''I  ])reaehed  in  the  morning  the  dedication  sermon 
from  the  text,  'Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  Thy 
house  and  the  place  where  Thine  honour  dwelleth,'  and  at 
night,  my  introductory,  as  pastor,  from  the  words:  'As 
much  as  in  me  is,  I  am  ready  to  preach  the  gospel  to  you 
that  are  at  Rome  also,'  little  dreaming,  by  the  way,  that 
this  was  afterwards  to  be  literally  fulfilled  in  my  history." 

A  letter  to  his  brother  pictures  his  life  soon  after  going 
to  Staunton,  one  of  his  sisters  being  at  the  time  a  visitor 
in  his  hom(^ : 

"Our  life  is  so  quiet,  so  utterly  devoid  of  incident  and 
the  town  is  so  dull,  that  really  I  often  feel  that  there  is  next 
to  nothing  to  write  about.  Our  days  pass  somewhat  in 
this  fashion:  We  all  manage  to  get  up  a  little  before 
breakfast,  which  is  not  early,  varying  from  7  to  7.30 
o'clock.  That  over,  we  adjourn  to  the  parlour  and  have 
family  worship,  in  which  I  am  reading  the  Psalms  (in 
course — this  morning's  was  the  cvii),  and  a  part  of 
which  is  singing.     Mary  is  a  great  help  in  this  exercise, 


KEV.    GEORGE    BC)AKI).^^AN    TAYLOR,    D.    D.  Oft 

though  I  have  learned  never  to  balk  at  raising  a  tnne. 
After  worship  I  generally  go  into  the  garden  for  vege- 
tables. This  is  one  of  the  pleasures  of  the  day.  Occa- 
sionally I  run  over  to  market,  just  after  breakfast,  for 
butter,  eggs,  etc.  When  I  want  butcher's  meat  I  have  to 
go  by  5  o'clock.  Such  matters  attended  to,  I  spend  the 
balance  of  the  morning  in  my  study,  which  is  generally 
not  less  than  from  four  to  five  hours.  I  might  accomplish 
much  if  I  felt  well  and  were  able  to  study,  but  this  re- 
cently has  not  been  the  case.  Not  more  than  every  other 
day  can  I  apply  myself  as  I  would  like.  I  am  hoping 
to  circulate  in  the  mountains  during  September  and  re- 
turn with  renewed  vigor  of  body,  and  elasticity  of  mind. 
The  ladies  sit  in  the  parlour  or  in  one  of  the  chambers, 
sewing  and  chatting.  I  frequently  read  aloud  to  them. 
Have  just  finished  reading  in  this  way  Foster's  'Essay 
on  a  Man's  Writing  a  ]\[emoir  of  Himself.'  I  have  also 
read  a  good  deal  from  Bryant,  my  favorite  poet.*  Have 
you  a  copy  of  his  works  ?  If  so,  read  his  'June'  over  about 
twenty  times  and  you  will  then  realize  what  a  glorious 
thing  it  is.  .  .  .At  night  we  all  sit  together  in 
the  parlour,  reading,  chatting,  and  the  like.  Family 
worship  closes,  as  it  begins,  the  day.  So  much,  my  dear 
brother,  for  my  outer  life.  My  inner  life  it  were  hard 
to  describe.  It  is  made  up  of  temptations,  sins  and  tribu- 
lations common  to  man.  I  sometimes  feel  that  I  have 
little  to  live  for  here  and  but  slight  hope  of  a  happy 
eternity,  but,  thank  God,  this  is  by  no  means  a  prevailing 


*This  was  not  the  verdict  of  his  later  years,  when  Tennyson,  Words- 
worth and  Browning  were  perhaps  his  favorite  poets. 


54  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

state.  From  what  we  read  in  the  Psahns  and  in  the 
biographies  of  great  and  good  men  I  suppose  such  states 
are  not  peculiar  to  me.  If  I  can  only  maintain  my 
integrity.  It  is  the  fear  of  losing  that  which  often  is  the 
most  distressing  thing  of  all.'' 

The  next  letter,  begun  at  the  White  Sulphur  Springs 
but  finished  at  Staunton,  shows  how  busy  he  was,  though 
far  from  strong  in  body.  At  the  first  of  these  places  his 
brother  James  was  with  him.  W.  H.  Peyton,  referred  to 
in  this  letter,  and  his  brother  George  L.  Peyton  had  charge 
at  various  times  of  the  Greenbrier  White  Sulphur  Springs, 
the  Rockbridge  Alum  Springs  and  the  Virginia  Hotel, 
Staunton,  and  were  liberal  and  hospitable  to  a  degree: 

"We  walked,  talked,  rolled  tenpins  and  drank  sulphur 
water  to  our  hearts'  content.  ...  In  the  evening 
we  drove  to  Lewisburg,  where  I  preached  to  a  large  and 
attentive  congregation.  .  .  .  The  next  morning  we 
proceeded  to  the  Blue  Sulphur  Springs,  distant  thirteen 
miles.  This  is  the  property  of  which  I  have  spoken  so 
often  with  reference  to  Baptist  Male  High  School.  It  has 
just  been  sold,  with  furniture,  etc.,  for  $26,000.  .  . 
It  is  a  lovely  place,  dirt  cheap  and  perfectly  adapted,  and 
I  could  not  but  feel  a  sentiment  of  disappointment  that 
it  is  now  probably  out  of  our  power.  .  .  .  Saturday 
morning  at  6  o'clock,  leaving  Mr.  Slaughter's  party.  Sue 
and  I  set  out  for  home — rode  thirty  miles  in  the  stage  and 
the  rest  by  rail,  reaching  home  at  7  p.  m.,  both,  as  you 
may  judge,  sorely  fatigued.  .  .  .  To-morrow  morn- 
ing I  expect  to  leave  for  Mechanicsville  and  preach  a 
week,  though  it  suits  me  very  illy  to  do  so.     .     .     .     I  had 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        55 

a  IsLTge  congregation  this  morning — many  Episcopalians, 
their  house  being  closed." 

The  next  letter,  to  his  mother,  is  very  cheerful  and 
calm,  although  he  had  a  pin  down  his  throat  which  three 
doctors  tried  in  vain  to  dislodge : 

^^Drs.  Waddell  and  Baldwin  and  Fuqua  have  all  tried 
in  vain  to  extract  the  pin,  but  cannot  even  see  it.  I, 
however,  feel  it  distinctly  enough.  It  is  very  disagree- 
able, and  irritates  my  throat,  but  I  suppose  will  not  be 
dangerous.  ...  I  got  Mr.  Mason's  rockaway,  and 
Sue  and  I  spent  the  time  till  dinner  visiting  some  of  our 
country  folks.  Found  one  lady — the  head  of  a  family — 
rejoicing  in  her  new-found  Saviour.  I  hope  soon  to 
baptize  her.  We  had  a  charming  ride  and  returned  with 
a  fine  supply  of  apples.  .  .  .  Sue  and  I  are  very 
happy  with  our  friends,  but,  as  should  be  the  case  with 
all  married  people,  are  very  contented  and  happy  \^heu 
left  alone.  .  .  .  T  baptized  two  colored  men  Sunday 
A.  M.,  and  owing  to  some  mistake  about  the  depth  of  the 
water  got  drenched,  and  having  no  change  of  raiment 
walked  home  wet,  but  didn't  take  cold.  ...  I  wish 
you  had  some  of  our  nice  partridges.  Mr.  Peyton  sends 
them  over  nearly  every  day.  They  are  so  fat,  nearly  as 
much  on  them  as  chickens.  They  are  very  abundant.  Mr. 
Peyton  and  some  friends  killed  sixty-six  the  other  morn- 
ing. ...  I  expect  to  come  down  at  the  railroad 
meeting,  when  I  can  travel  free.  I  am  not  troubled  with 
a  plethora  of  funds." 

In  the  early  summer  of  1859  Mr.  Taylor  and  his  wife 
had  their  first  great  sorrow.     Bessie,  the  little  baby,  who 


5 (J  LIFE  a:sd  letters  of 

for  several  all  too  short  months  had  brightened  the  home, 
passed  from  them,  Mr.  Taylor,  at  the  time  of  her  death, 
being  absent  in  Charlottesville,  where  he  made  a  public 
address.     A  letter  to  his  sisters  tells  about  Bessie's  death : 

''I  embrace  the  earliest  opportunity  to  give  you  some 
particulars  of  that  event  which  is  of  such  mournful  in- 
terest to  us  all.     Susan  will  probably  not  write  to-day. 
We   have   both   been   sweetly    sustained   by    our 
Heavenly  Father. 

''Early  last  week  our  little  darling  was  a  little  unwell. 
.  Wednesday  we  decided  to  call  the  doctor. 
Dr.  Waddell  came  and  said,  and  evidently  thought,  the 
little  babe  was  but  slightly  indisposed.  .  .  .  The  next 
morning  T  left  foi*  Charlottesville.  I  said  to  Sue,  'I  never 
hated  so  to  leave  home.  I  have  a  great  mind  not  to  go. 
I  certainly  would  not  but  for  feeling  bound  to  fill  my 
ai)pointment.  I  will  come  directly  back  unless  detained, 
and  then  I  will  not  go  away  again,  and  we  three  will  be 
so  happy  together.'  .  .  .  About  11  o'clock  Friday, 
she  seemed  fretful,  and,  after  a  little.  Sue  concluded  to 
send  for  the  doctor.  .  .  .  He  said  little  baby  was 
not  much  sick.  .  .  .  At  6  o'clock  the  baby  was  evi- 
dently much  Avorse.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Peyton  and 
Drs.  Waddell  and  Baldwin  were  sent  for,  and  in  a  short 
time  all  came.  It  was  then  apparent  that  the  end  was 
near,  and  twenty  minutes  before  eight  the  darling  hahj 
sweetly  fell  asleep  in  her  mother's  lap. 

"I  made  my  speech  in  Charlottesville  to  a  large  and 
attentive  crowd.  But  my  heart  was  at  home,  and  I  could 
not  forbear  alluding  in  my  remarks  to  my  wife  and  child. 


KEV.  OEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        57 

I  spent  the  ni£!;ht  at  Brother  John  A.  Hroadus's.  The 
next  morning  at  worship  1  said  in  my  prayer:  'And  now, 

0  Lord,  Thou  knowest  what  arc  the  scenes  through  which 
we  may  be  called  to  pass  this  day.  O  may  we  be  in  all 
things  resigned  to  Thy  holy  will !'  While  we  were  on 
«»ur  knees  the  ser\ant  left  the  room  to  answc^r  the  door- 
bell, and  as  we  rose  he  handed  me  the  dispatch  announc- 
ing Bessie  was  'verv  sick.'  At  the  table,  to  win  one  of 
Mr.  Broadus's  little  daughters,  who  was  very  shy,  I  had 
told  her  a  good  deal  about  my  little  Bessie,  which  seemed 
to  interest  all  three  of  the  children.  Xow,  Mr.  Broadus 
said:  'Children,  Mr.  Taylor  has  been  telling  you  about 
his  little  daughter,  and  now  the  telegraph  has  told  him 
she  is  very  sick.'  Little  Annie  went  with  me  into  the 
study.  1  told  her  to  o-o  and  ])rny  for  Bessie,  which  she 
promised  to  do. 

"In  half  an  hour  after,  as  I  walked  u})  to  the  Tniver- 
sity,  the  telegraph  agent  called  me  and  put  into  my  hand 
a  dispatch  for  my  brother:  'Little  Bessie  Taylor  has  just 
died  very  suddenly,  etc'  I  pursued  my  walk  as  one 
stunned.     I  had  not  thought  that  possible,  and  mercifully 

1  could  not  realize  it. 

''The  baby  had  changed  a  little,  but  not  much.  She 
wore  a  sweet  smile,  and  it  was  pleasant  to  stand  and  gaze 
upon  her  darling  face,  and  upon  her  hands  so  meekly 
folded  on  her  breast.  To  do  that  and  to  kiss  her  again 
and  again — to  pray — to  talk  with  Susan — to  read  Baxter's 
'Converse  with  God,'  and  the  Bible,  these  were  my  prin- 
cipal employments  that  afternoon  and  night  and  yester- 


58  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

day  morning.  .  .  .  How  everything  we  see  and  do 
reminds  us  of  her !  Here  is  her  empty  carriage.  We  will 
not  put  it  away.  We  love  to  think  of  her  even  though  our 
hearts  bleed  and  our  eyes  constantly  fill  up  with  tears. 
.  .  .  I  had  gotten  a  temporary  cradle  and  had  ordered 
a  beautiful  one  to  be  made.  It  was  to  have  been  brought 
home  on  Saturday  afternoon.  At  that  very  time  the  man 
who  was  to  have  brought  the  cradle  brought  instead  the 
coffin.  .  .  .  The  funeral  occurred  at  4  p.  m.,  at  our 
church.  .  .  .  Brother  Latane  read  Ps.  xc  and  I  Cor. 
XV,  and  gave  out  the  hymn,  ^As  vernal  flowers  that  scent 
the  morn.'  The  house  was  crowded  with  a  tearful, 
sympathetic  audience." 

Later  in  a  letter  to  his  parents  he  writes  about  this 
great  sorrow: 

"We  have  both  been  enabled  to  pass  through  our  suffer- 
ing with  a  calmness  and  peace  that  I  had  not  dreamed 
of.  This,  I  would  fain  hope,  is  the  Lord's  doing.  .  .  . 
One  thing  I  know:  whatever  of  peace  I  feel  is  from  no 
lack  of  sensibility,  for  there  is  no  hour  when  my  thoughts 
are  not  of  our  darling  and  1  cannot  think  of  her  but  with 
a  swelling  heart." 

Later  in  the  same  summer  he  planned  to  take  his  wife 
with  him  on  a  trip  out  in  the  mountains  of  Western  Vir- 
ginia.    He  wrote  thus  of  the  trip : 

^'The  doctor  confirmed  me  in  my  plan  to  take  her  with 
me  to  the  Western  Association.  The  trip  is  mostly  by 
stage  and  I  have  free  tickets  for  her  and  myself  on  nearly 
all  the  stage   routes,   so  that  our   expense  will  be  much 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOABDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        59 

reduced.  I  invited  Mary  to  accompany  us,  offering  to 
pay  her  expenses  at  the  Blue  Sulphur." 

A  letter  later  in  the  same  summer  tells,  among  other 
things,  of  the  High  School,  which  under  Mr.  Taylor^s 
fostering  care  was  to  grow  into  a  flourishing  college : 

''We  both,  too,  enjoy  having  the  little  boys.  Of  course 
their  presence  suggests  sad  thoughts.  But  since  our  little 
Bessie  came  and  went,  I  love  all  little  children  better  even 
than  formerly.  I  feel,  too,  so  tenderly  to  them.  It  used 
to  annoy  me  when  a  baby  cried  in  meeting,  but  now  it 
only  awakens  feelings  unutterably  tender.  .  .  . 
You  will  have  heard  of  the  good  prospects  of  the  Alle- 
ghany High  School.  There  were  over  forty  students 
present  the  first  day,  and  many  more  coming  on. 
.  .  .  By  the  way,  we  had  a  pleasant  little  episode 
Tuesday  night  in  the  way  of  a  collection,  according 
to  appointment,  to  pay  for  introducing  gas,  and  altering 
the  chandelier.  After  some  devotional  exercises  I  men- 
tioned the  subject  and  laid  down  my  'V,'  and  then  the 
money — notes,  checks,  gold  and  silver — kept  coming  up  till 
we  had  $133.75  on  the  table,  nearly  the  needed  amount. 
This  was  done  in  three  minutes,  and  then  we  went  on  with 
our  praying  and  singing.  The  money  we  do  raise  here 
is  raised  as  easily  and  as  pleasantly  as  at  any  place  I  ever 
saw." 

An  extract  from  a  letter,  written  at  Marion,  Ya.,  to 
his  wife  shows  how  active  and  zealous  he  was,  not  only  in 
Staunton,  but  in  the  regions  around,  notwithstanding  frail 
health : 

''     .     .     .     I  am  now  much  better  except  my  throat. 


60  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

I  have  not  been  able  to  preach.  .  .  .  Satur- 
day night  was  devoted  to  colportage.  I  made  the  only 
speech  on  that,  talking  forty  minutes,  and  though  I  spoke 
with  difficulty,  the  people  listened  very  attentively.  I 
raised  in  pledges  over  $130.  ...  I  have  just  been 
to  the  post  office  and  taken  out  your  kind,  precious  letter. 
.  .  .  I  hope  you  will  receive  this  promptly — it  makes 
my  fourth  to  you." 

In  the  first  part  of  his  life  in  Staunton,  Mr.  Taylor 
and  his  wife  kept  house,  renting  one  place  after  another, 
and  also  boarded  for  a  while  at  the  Virginia  Hotel.  One 
letter  tells  of  his  ]>lanning  to  buy  a  lot  and  build: 

"I  am  thinking  seriously  of  building  a  dwelling  near 
the  meeting-house — not  that  it  is  desirable  on  all  ac- 
counts to  build  or  even  to  buy,  but  it  is  hardly  a  matter 
of  choice  with  me.  We  will  soon  have  to  leave  this  house 
and  it  seems  impossible  to  rent.  I  have  been  looking  for 
months  without  success.'' 

On  October  31st,  1859,  he  writes  to  his  brother: 

''I  have  bought  a  lot  for  $600  near  our  church.  Shall 
build  at  once,  ready  for  spring." 

This  plan  was  carried  out  and  a  commodious  brick 
house  was  erected  and  occupied  for  several  years.  The 
house  was  paid  for  in  Confederate  money  and  at  the 
end  of  the  war,  Mr.  Taylor,  feeling  that  he  was  morally 
bound  to  pay  for  it  again,  in  the  severe  stress  of  those 
trying  days  had  to  let  the  property  go.  In  the  letter  just 
quoted  he  tells  of  a  slight  but  painful  accident: 

'^I  was  walking  to  church  yesterday  a.  ^i.  in  great 
haste,  and  fell,  bruising  my  knee  and  tearing  my  pants. 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        61 

and  cutting  my  thumb  against  the  curbstone  so  as  to 
break  the  nail  half  down.  I  had  but  a  minute  to  rush  into 
Byron's  store  and  pin  up  my  pants,  brush  off  the  dust, 
soak  my  thumb  in  spirits  of  turpentine  and  bind  it  up  with 
a  piece  of  the  nether  end  of  one  of  Byron's  old  shirts. 
Managed  to  get  through  the  day,  but  at  night  my  thumb 
was  so  inflamed  and  painful  that  I  could  not  sleep,  even 
with  the  assistance  of  laudanum.  .  .  .  But  I  was 
not  prevented  from  marrying  a  couple  this  a.  m., 
fee  only  a  dollar.  The  whole  party  came  here,  only 
three  in  all.  I  talked  so  affectingly  that  the  groom  cried. 
As  the  cou])le  went  out  the  old  aunt  lingered  to  say: 
'Young,  foolish.'  Think  I,  'twere  well  if  there  were  no 
couples  old  and  foolish." 

Before  the  spring  of  1860  the  Alleghany  High  School 
had  become  Alleghany  College,  with  very  bright  prospects 
of  success.  C.  R.  Mason,  referred  to  in  the  following 
letter,  was  a  successful  contractor.  He  built  a  large  part 
of  the  Virginia  Central  R.  R.  (now  the  C.  &  O.).  He  was 
with  Stonewall  Jackson,  making  himself  most  useful  to 
the  great  commander  by  his  wonderful  engineering  skill, 
and  if  he  had  had  educational  advantages  probably  would 
have  won  a  national  fame.  Allusion  is  also  made  to  Dr. 
Charles  L.  Cocke,  the  founder,  and  for  over  half  a  century 
the  president,  of  Hollins  Institute,  Virginia.  Under  date 
of  April  16th,  1860,  Mr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  brother: 

"Monday  morning  I  ascertained  that  by  leaving  then 
and  in  a  freight  train,  and  pushing  a  little,  I  could  return 
within  the  week.  This  I  promptly  decided  to  do.  So, 
hastily  paying  a  couple  of  necessary  visits   and  attend- 


(^2  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

ing  to  sundry  items  of  business,  I  packed  my  valise,  kissed 
and  blessed  Sue  and  started.  We  stopped  often  and  went 
slowly,  so  did  not  reach  the  railroad  terminus  until  four 
o'clock,  having  gotten  dinner  with  a  family  at  one  of 
the  depots  en  route.  ...  At  the  depot  I  presented 
Mr.  Mason's  order  for  a  conveyance,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
a  fine  pair  of  horses  pranced  up  with  a  buggy.  Wasn't 
this  grand  (  I  drove  to  Covington  and  spent  the  night 
with  a  member  of  my  church,  who  had  recently  moved 
out.  He  insisted  not  only  on  keeping  me,  but  paying  for 
my  horses  at  the  hotel.  The  next  day  I  drove  forty-four 
miles  to  the  Blue  Sulphur.  ...  In  the  afternoon 
the  rain  fell  heavily  and  I  got  tolerably  wet  despite  all 
protection.  But  I  did  not  suffer  from  it  materially. 
.  .  .  The  meeting  of  the  Board  occupied  the  whole  of 
the  next  day.  .  .  .  The  students'^  are  a  noble-looking 
body  of  young  men.  They  use  Baptist  Chorals,  and  it  was 
glorious  hearing  them  sing.  We  shall  report  ninety-four 
matriculates,  several  being  preachers  of  promise.  I  at- 
tended two  recitations,  and  was  much  gratified,  especially 
with  the  class  in  Demosthenes.  Thursday  morning  I 
addressed  the  students.  .  .  .  They  heard  me  with 
fixed  attention.  ...  As  for  the  grounds,  I  fell  more 
in  love  with  them  than  ever.  In  the  first  flush  of  their 
spring  glory  they  are  a  paradise  indeed. 

"The  meeting  of  the  Board  was  an  important  one.    They 
accepted  the  charter  and  adopted  the  title  of  Alleghany 


*One  of  these  students,  J.  W.  Carter,  became  a  most  able  and 
eloquent  preacher;  wis  pastor  of  the  Park ersbnrg,  W.  Va,,  Church,  and 
of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        63 

College,  and  oraanized,  electing  me  President  of  the 
Board.  They  also  wished  me  to  take  charge  of  the  Insti- 
tution, but  this  I  declined,  and  they  committed  the  whole 
question  of  faculty  to  Brother  Cocke  and  myself. 
.  .  .  We  think  of  adopting  one  feature  which 
will  be  popular — to  have  a  summer  session,  extending 
from  1st  of  March  to  1st  of  December,  giving  the  winter 
months  as  vacation.  On  Thursday  afternoon  I  left,  com- 
ing to  Lewisburg  to  supper,  and  after  supper  driving  nine 
miles  to  the  White  Sulphur.  Friday  morning,  reached 
the  railroad,  by  a  drive  of  thirty  miles,  in  time  for  the 
mail  train  and  reached  Staunton  to  suppc^r,  finding  my 
dear  Sue  well  and  hai)py,  and  scarcely  expecting  me  be- 
fore the  next  evening  by  the  freight." 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother  at  the  I^niversity  he  writes : 
"I  think  highly  of  your  abstract,  but  didn't  know  six- 
hour  speeches  were  allowed  in  society.  You  say  that  is 
your  last  appearance  in  society.  Sue  says:  ^Because  he 
has  said  all  he  knows  in  this  speech.'  'This  is  a  joke.' 
Last  Sunday  week  I  preached  one  of  my  best  sermons, 
'the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God' ;  and  followed  it 
with  another  last  Sunday — not  quite  so  good — from  'Only 
let  your  conversation  be  as  it  becometh  the  gospel.'  In 
the  last,  I  quoted  a  column  from  Macaulay  on  the  Puri- 
tans from  his  article  on  Milton,  which  you  are  familiar 
with." 

On  the  very  eve  of  war  he  writes  to  his  mother: 
"     .     .     .     It  was  very  trying,  at  a  time  so  big  with 
events,  to  have  no  mail,  but  I  just  concluded  to  take  things 
quietly  and  plodded  away  with  sermons,  gardening  and 


64  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

the  like.  ...  I  am  trying  still  to  pursue  the  even 
tenor  of  my  way.  But  it  is  very  hard  when  times  are 
so  stirring  in  sister  states,  and  a  general  civil  war  impends 
over  our  land.  ...  I  am  indulging  hope  now  that 
our  miserable  convention  will  at  once  pass  an  ordinance  of 
secession,  if  they  have  not  already  done  so.  O !  if  they 
had    only  done  this    weeks  ago  and    thus  averted    war. 

.     B is  getting  quite  himself  again.    He  will  be 

a  year  old  in  a  few  days.  He  pushes  a  chair  around  the 
room  till  he  is  in  a  ])rofuse  perspiration.  .  .  .  He 
has  three  teeth.  Bless  his  little  heart — playing  with  him 
after  dinner  is  a  sweet  recreation.  And  when  I  jump 
him  to  the  ceiling,  he  fairly  shrieks  with  pleasure.  He 
is  truly  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  of  my  life." 
A  few  days  later  he  writes  to  his  l)roth('r: 
"...  I  wish  you  would  buy  and  bring  me  a  half 
1)11  shel  or  so  of  the  North  Carolina  potatoes,  also  some 
bananas,  if  they  happen  to  come  in  your  way.  Vegetables 
are  very  scarce  with  us.     .     .      .     You  will  think  me  as 

troublesome  as  old  Brother and with  my 

commissions.  You  know  the  latter  always  watched  with 
eagle  eye  for  any  one  going  to  Richmond,  so  as  to  send  for 
a  cake  of  soap  or  a  pound  of  nails,  which  were  sure  never 
to  suit.  .  .  .  Have  been  preaching  miserably  lately. 
This  morning  by  hard  work  and  the  grace  of  God,  retrieved 
myself." 

In  May  1861  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  met  in 
Savannah,  Mr.  Taylor  being  one  of  the  recording  secre- 
taries, and  he  tells  of  his  trip,  including  a  visit  to  Charles- 
ton, about  a  month  after  Fort  Sumter  had  been  taken: 


KEV.    GP]OU(iE    BOAIID.MAN    TAYEOK,    D.    D.  65 

''  .  .  .  I  liked  inany  things  about  the  South. 
But  I  came  back  with  a  heightened  appreciation  of  Old 
Virginia.  We  were  told  we  could  not  see  Sumter.  1 
determined  to  try,  and  addressed  Governor  Pickens  a  note, 
which  secured  not  only  admission,  but  the  quartermaster's 
boat  for  our  party.  The  Governor  and  everybody  seemed 
glad  to  do  anything  for  Virginians.  We  all  agreed  the 
day,  spent  in  visiting  the  several  forts,  among  the  most 
interesting  of  our  lives.  I  brought  back  several  souvenirs 
— as  palmetto  branches,  and  badges,  shot  thrown  into 
Sumter,  pictures  of  Beauregard  and  Davis.  Everywhere 
in  the  South  the  tenderest  sympathy  is  felt  for  the  border 
states,  and  though  the  battle  may  be  fought  on  our  soil, 
the  brethren  south  will  stand  by  us  to  the  last.  All  are 
anxious  to  fight,  and  that  in  Virginia.  And  already 
nearly  everybody  is  in  arms.  From  Richmond  to  Charles- 
ton is  one  camp.      .     .     .     B has    learned   to   walk 

alone  and  is  so  beautiful.  T  never  thought  him  so  till  now. 
I  wish  you  could  see  him.  Do  you  remember  Pisistratus' 
brave  uncle  in  'The  Caxtons'  ?  I  have  felt  so  proud  of  you 
and  thought  T  would  some  day  point  you  out  to  my  boy 
as  the  brave  soldier.  .  .  .  Our  towTi  is  a  rendezvous 
for  troops,  and  companies  are  constantly  encamped  here. 
Yesterday  every  church  had  a  company  that  came  and 
left  in  file.  .  .  .  This  morning  I  have  been  setting 
out  plants.  My  place  is  lovely.  I  have  a  happy  home, 
for  which  I  trust  I  am  thankful.  But  now  I  long  to  be 
with  the  men  who  are  going  to  fight  for  their  country. 
I  am  renewing  my  offer  to  be  a  chaplain.  It  is  not 
probable  I  shall  succeed,  as  there  are  so  many  applicants 


66  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  so  few  chaplaincies — only  one  for  each  brigade. 
I  have  bought  Alfred's  pistol — mean  to  teach  Sue 
to  shoot." 

A  company  of  Home  Guards  was  organized  in  Staunton. 
When  the  time  came  to  elect  a  captain — this  was  done 
by  the  candidates  standing  up  side  by  side  so  that  the 
men  could  form  in  line  behind  the  man  of  their  choice — 
to  Mr.  Taylor's  surprise  he  was  nominated.  He  was  in- 
clined not  to  stand  as  a  candidate,  but,  upon  advice  of 
some  of  his  members,  did  so,  never  thinking  of  being 
elected  over  the  other  candidate,  who  was  a  prominent 
judge.  Once  up,  Mr.  Taylor  felt  some  interest  as  to  who 
was  ahead,  but  had  no  way  of  knowing  until  he  heard 
a  fellow  shout  out :  ''The  parson's  a-getting  'em."  He 
was  elected.  He  at  once  secured  uniforms  for  his  men, 
bolts  of  grey  cloth,  and  bushels  of  brass  buttons  coming 
from  Richmond,  and  being  made  up  by  the  women.  ISTor 
did  he  fail  to  drill  his  men.  In  the  presence  of  one  of 
his  members  some  one  remarked  that  they  should  never 
have  elected  Mr.  Taylor  as  captain,  since  he  knew  nothing 
about  military  tactics.  Quick  from  his  loyal  member 
came  this  answer:  ^'Mr.  Taylor  may  not  know  anything 
now  about  military  tactics,  but  if  there  is  a  book  on  the 
subject  in  town,  by  to-morrow  he  will  know  all  about  it." 
It  is  this  company  to  which  reference  is  made  in  a  letter 
to  his  brother,  which  also  gives  other  items: 

"My  company  is  much  reduced.  We  are  still  in  service 
and  detail  daily  a  guard.  I  suppose  it  is  now  certain  we 
shall  not  go,  as  our  quota  of  volunteers  is  made  up.  I 
may  go  as  chaplain,  though  there  is  plenty  to  do  here. 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        67 

Last  night  I  preached  to  the  soldiers  at  the  hospital.  To- 
morrow I  have  three  servic(\s — expect  to  preach  to  the 
troops  in  the  a.  :Nr.,  and  have  a  prayer-meeting  for  them 
at  our  church  in  the  afternoon.  We  have  rumor  now 
of  a  battle  near  Rich  Spring.  .  .  .  We  had  two 
soldiers  here  to  dinner  to-day.  ...  I  have  married 
three  couples  lately — twenty-five  dollars  in  all.  Very  well, 
as  I  have  received  no  salary  for  ever  so  long.  By  the 
way,  I  would  send  you  some  money  if  T  knew  you  would 
receive  this  letter — and  will  do  it  when  I  hear  the  pony 
express  is  reliable." 

The  next  extract  is  from  a  letter  to  his  brother  who 
was  in  the  army : 

''I  ship  to-day  by  mail  train  a  basket  for  you,  via  Mill- 
boro,  and  have  written  to  the  quartermaster  there  to  for- 
ward it  promptly.  It  contains  biscuits,  cakes,  loaf,  ham, 
dried  beef,   flask   of   whiskey,   bottle   of   Jamaica  ginger, 

shoes  for  Lieutenant  M (for  which  I  paid  $3.50 — they 

are  the  article  made  here  for  officers),  shirt,  socks,  paper 
and  envelopes,  books  and  tracts.  The  ham  is  from  Mrs. 
Linda — the  other  things  from  Sue  and  me.  .  .  .  The 
books  I  selected  for  their  interest.  In  case  you  have  to 
throw  them  away,  no  matter.  But  you  can  probably  leave 
a  bundle  at  some  house  to  be  kept  till  called  for.  I  think 
Arnold  would  entertain  me  more  than  any  book  of  its 
size  that  I  know.  I  meet  my  company  this  p.  m.  to  pay 
them  commutation  for  rations.     I  anticipate  a  rich  scene." 

About  this  time  he  added  to  all  his  other  work  that 
of  teaching,  taking  charge  of  the  Staunton  Academy. 
The  purpose  of  this  was  to  supplement  his  small  salary. 


68  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

He  writes  to  uiic*  of  his  brothers,  under  date  of  October 
9th,  1861,  as  follows: 

'*  .  .  .  I  am  going  to  try  and  send  you  some  salt, 
in  a  paper  by  ])ony  express.  We  have  not  been  able  to 
buy  it  here  at  all.  I  have  sixteen  scholars,  and  several 
more  coming.  Last  week  I  was  quite  discouraged,  but  now 
think  I  shall  have  as  many  as  I  want.  It  is  a  worrying 
life,  but  has  its  pleasures.  With  the  discontent  natural 
to  man,  I  often  regret  not  being  ^\^th  you  or  James  in  the 
army.  .  .  .  Last  Friday  I  broke  school  at  twelve 
and  took  the  girls  to  Natural  Bridge.  Preached  at  Lex- 
ington Sabbath,  and  came  home  after  preaching,  getting 
home  by  !►  \\  m.  Fast  line.  This  is  in  school — T  must 
close." 

Early  in  ISirl  Mr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  brother: 

''B has  quite  recovered.     He  is  very  hearty  and 

eats  three  and  one-half  buckwheat  cakes  (with  cream, 
not  butter )  for  a  meal :  will  not  sleej)  during  the  day, 
but  after  supper  gets  his  night  gown  and  ])eains  to  undress. 
He  gets  into  bod  with  a  chuckle,  and  lies  there  while  I 
sing  'The  Hebrew  Children'  to  him,  and  generally  before 
I    get  to  'the    weeping  Mary'  he  is  fast    asleep. 

On  that  pretty  day  last  week  I  took  Sue  and  B to 

ride  in  the  rockaway.  It  was  glorious  overhead,  but  a 
sea  of  mud  beneath,  till  we  got  out  of  town  on  the  macadam- 
ized road,  where  it  was  comparatively  dry.  .  .  .  Yes- 
terday was  pleasant.  ...  At  night  the  house  was 
crowded.  I  have  tried  recently  to  preach  very  practically 
and  pointedly,  principally  to  Christians.  ...  I  have 
lately    been  led  to    much  heart-searching    by   ^Pilgrim's 


REV.  GEORGK  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        69 

Progress.'  I  can  truly  say:  '  'Tis  a  point  I  long  to  know, 
etc'  For  what  will  all  present  good  avail  me,  if  I  am  at 
last  lost,  and  what  difference  will  any  earthly  sorrows 
make,  if  I  may  at  last  gain  the  celestial  city  ?  .  .  . 
By  the  way,  there  is  no  paper  here,  so  if  you  either  have  a 
supply,  or  can  get  it  at  reasonable  prices,  please  send  me 
some  in  the  bundle.  .  .  .  We  were  caught  this  morn- 
ing nearly  out  of  wood.  I  am  going  to  haul  a  few  sticks 
from  my  school  house  till  we  can  get  a  load." 

Again  he  writes  to  his  brother : 

^'I  will  avail  myself  of  Brother 's  going,  to  send 

you  a  line;  also  a  pair  of  socks,  and  some  reading, 
religious  and  entertaining.  Perhaps  I  may  get  some 
goodies,  but  we  have  nothing  in  the  house.  .  .  .  The 
religious  Ix^oks,  read  if  you  possibly  can,  and  lend  or  give 
to  others.  The  others,  T  thought,  might  make  some  weary 
hour  pass  less  Avearily.  .  .  .  The  socks,  if  you  don't 
need,  you  can  give  away,  or  you  can  readily  sell  them  for 
fifty    or    seventy-five    cents,   in    which    event  pocket    the 

change.     By  the  way,  1  have  asked to  let  you  have 

any  money  you  need." 

On  May  25th,  1862,  he  wrote  to  his  parents: 

'^  .  .  .  We  learn  that  a  battle  is  probably  now 
proceeding  near  Richmond,  and  I  cannot  but  feel  the  pro- 
foundest  solicitude,  mingled,  however,  with  strong  hope 
that  God  will  preserve  our  loved  Richmond.  ...  I 
try  patiently  to  commit  the  issue  to  Him.  This  lovely 
morning  I  preached  from  the  words:  ^The  Lord  God  is  a 
sun  and  shield.'  I  enjoyed  preaching  and  closed  by  a 
reference  to  Richmond.     O !  that  God  may  prove  a  shield 


70  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

to  the  city  of  my  first  and  second  birth.  I  had  not  felt 
well  for  a  few  days,  which  I  attributed  to  the  hot  weather 
and  being  so  much  in  the  offensive  air  of  the  hospitals. 
So,  expecting  to  preach  twice  to-day,  I  took  yesterday  as  a 
day  of  rest.     In  consequence  I  feel  much  refreshed." 

The  next  letter,  dated  Camp,  near  Dublin,  Va.,  and 
addressed  to  one  of  his  brothers,  tells  of  a  battle: 

^'  .  .  .  Since  we  have  been  in  service,  our  com- 
pany has  enjoyed  some  little  experience  in  active  war- 
fare. Our  first  encounter  with  the  Yanks  was  at  Giles 
Court  House.  This  was  a  rather  small  affair.  Our  force 
was  nearly  double  theirs,  notwithstanding  which  they  stood 
and  fought  us  for  an  hour  and  theu  succeeded  in  getting 
away  with  small  loss.  The  next  morning,  while  we  were 
on  the  outposts  with  our  gun,  the  Yankees  brought  up  a 
j)iece  and  drove  in  our  pickets,  and  from  behind  a  bend 
in  the  road  opened  a  twelve  pounder  upon  us.  We  could 
not  see  the  effects  of  our  shots,  but  one  of  our  pickets, 
who  was  stationed  so  as  to  see  the  enemy,  told  us  that  we 
exploded  two  or  three  shells  right  among  them.  At  any 
rate  the  Union  Lovers  soon  ^shut  up  sho]).'  My  hopes  of 
military  renown   have,   however,   found   an   early  grave. 

"You  have  perhaps  read  some  accounts  in  the  papers  of 
the  battle  of  Lewisburg.  I  had  the  honor,  or  dishonor  (as 
you  please),  of  being  engaged  in  that  disastrous  fight. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  complete,  disastrous,  'bull-run' 
defeats  of  the  war.  I  have  been  surprised  and  grieved 
beyond  expression  to  think  that  we  had  such  incompetent 
generals  and  cowardly  soldiers  in  our  army.  The  defeat 
was  due  in  the  first  place  to  General  Holt's  ordering  the 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  1).  I).        71 

troops  ill  a  position  where  the  enemy  had  every  advantage, 
and  secondly  to  the  cowardice  of  the  men  who  would  not 
stand  till  reinforcements  could  be  sent  to  their  aid.  Our 
rifle  gun  was  ordered  down  into  the  town,  not  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  enemy,  and  no  sooner  had  we  reached 
this  position  than  the  regiment  supporting  us  broke  and 
retreated  in  the  greatest  confusion.  We  had  no  officer  with 
us,  and  not  wishing  to  retreat  without  orders  we  stood 
by  our  gun  till  nearly  every  infantryman  had  passed  us, 
when  we  saw  that  retreat  was  all  that  remained ;  but 
being  in  a  very  narrow  lane,  it  was  only  with  greatest 
difficulty  we  could  turn  the  horses  around.  We  tore  down 
the  fence  and  reversed  the  limber  amid  a  storm  of  bullets, 
but  had  we  then  stopped  to  limber  u])  the  gun  we  would 
certainly  have  taken  a  trip  to  Columbus.  The  Vanks 
were  not  over  thirty  yards  from  us  when  our  sergeant 
ordered  us  to  leave.  I  cannot  express  to  you  my  feelings 
when  I  was  thus  forced  to  turn  my  back  upon  my  country's 
foe.  Men,  white  with  terror,  were  seen  panting  as  they 
ran,  and  every  scene  of  the  day  tended  to  shake  our  faith 
in  Southern  chivalry  or  Yankee  cowardice.  Your  old 
command  'Stonewall'  is  indeed,  if  accounts  are  true,  work- 
ing wonders  in  the  Valley." 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter,  dated  June  ir)th, 
to  his  parents,  shows  that  Mr.  Taylor  was  now  chaplain 
of  a  regiment  (it  was  the  Twenty-fifth  Virginia)  : 

^'  .  .  .  Yesterday  p.  m.  we  were  called  on  by  Gen- 
eral Jackson  to  observe  with  religious  exercises  a  season 
of  thanksgiving  for  our  late  victories.  On  about  an  hour's 
notice  I  preached  to  the  25th  and   13th  regiments  from 


i'Z  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Psalm  cxxiv.  T  had  a  line  crowd,  who  were  very  attentive, 
and  I  enjoyed  the  service.  ...  I  am  on  the  river 
bank,  to  let  my  horse  graze,  and  hoping  to  have  privacy 
in  the  shade.  But  four  other  persons  have  been  lying 
around.  They  are  all  busy  reading  my  tracts  which  I 
have  given  them.  Yesterday  I  spent  some  time  distributing 
tracts,  etc.,  and  getting  acquainted  in  my  regiment. 
Monday  I  went  to  Staunton.  .  .  .  Yester- 
day but  against  grain,  but  for  conscience'  sake,  started 
back  to  camp.  En  route  heard  the  army  had  left.  I 
struck  across  the  woods,  and  managed  after  dark  to  meet 
them  at  the  new  camj).  Supped  at  ten  and  then  bivouacked 
for  the  first  time.  To-day  we  came  on  to  this  place  by  a 
bridle  path  over  Jarman's  Gap,  the  wagons  coming  by 
the  Rockfish.  No  one  dreams  where  we  are  going.  My 
brigade  is  camped  right  at  ^lountain  Plain  Church." 

His  letters  to  his  wife  from  camp  were  numerous  and 
long.  A  few  sentences  from  several  of  these  letters  help 
us  to  see  his  work  and  ])rivations,  and  anxiety  for  his 
wife  and  children.  On  July  7th  from  Camp  Nameless, 
near  Charles  City  Court  House,  he  wrote : 

"...  Sunday  morning,  though  only  half  rested, 
and  against  the  protestations  of  the  family,  I  started,  my 

horse  having  been  left  by  Brother  W ,  to  find  my 

mythical  regiment.  O !  it  was  an  awfully  hot  day ;  my 
skin  was  burnt  sore,  and  my  brain  seemed  to  boil.  On, 
on  over  a  sandy,  shadeless  road  I  pressed.  .  .  .  Late 
in  the  evening  ...  I  found  our  division  and  then 
my  brigade  and  regiment.  The  Colonel  seemed  glad  to 
see  me,  and  gave  me  some  sugarless  tea   (taken  from  the 


KEV.  OEOKUK  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  1).  I).        73 

Yanks),  which  much  refreshed  nie.  ...  In  a  few 
moments  1  was  i)reaching  to  a  large  and  attentive  crowd, 
and,  notwithstanding  my  hot  ride  of  thirty  miles,  I  en- 
joyed the  service  highly." 

On  July  18th  from  Louisa  Court  House  he  wrote  to  his 
wife: 

''You  see  by  the  date  of  this  we  are  again  en  route  for 
the  upper  country ;  Avhether  the  Valley  or  not  we  cannot 
certainly  tell.  This  is  a  dismal  day.  .  .  .  O  for 
seven-league  boots  that  I  might  step  over  to  Danville  and 
for  an  hour  at  least  .  .  .  hold  your  hand,  look  into 
your  eyes  I  .  .  .  For  the  first  time  I  felt  like  a  ])astoi', 
and,  besides  preaching,  gave  the  men  a  talk.  ...  At 
11  I  heard  William  Thomas  at  the  l-^th,  and  in  ihe  p.  m. 
John  Jones  preached  for  nic  Then  how  joyfully  did  I 
turn  homeward  [i.  e.,  towards  his  father's  home  in  Rich- 
mond]. .  .  .  Brother  Prichard  was  expecting  to  leave 
the  next  morning,  but  as  T  offered  him  a  congregation  and 
a  ride  over  one  of  the  battle-fields,  he  gladly  consented 
to  remain  another  day.  So  Monday  a.  m.  I  got  him  a 
passport,  and,  failing  to  secure  a  horse,  hitched  mine  to 
the  broken-down  buggy  (which  even  Alfred  had  aban- 
doned), and  started  out.  For  a  few  miles  I  momentarily 
expected  a  breakdown,  but  courage  increased  with  ex- 
perience, and  we  made  the  trip  of  twenty-odd  miles 
with  comfort  and  safety.  .  .  .  We  had  a  narrow 
escape  of  life  or  limb.  As  we  were  proceeding  on  the 
narrow  road,  raised  in  the  Chickahominy  swamp,  a  runa- 
way team  and  wagon  came  dashing  upon  our  rear  at  a 
fearful  speed.     We  had  just  time  to  get  out  and  lead  our 


74  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

horse  down  the  embankment,  when  they  passed,  the  wagon 
passing  within  a  few  inches  of  our  vehicle.  .  .  .  We 
reached  the  camp  in  the  p.  m.,  a  little  before  I  designed  to 
have  service,  but  found  the  troops  gone.  Through  the 
trees  a  short  distance  off  we  could  see  the  long  line  in 
motion." 

On  Jul^  22nd,  in  camp,  near  Liberty  Mills,  Orange 
County,  he  wrote  to  his  wife : 

"More  constantly  and  more  tenderly  than  I  can  convey 
to  you  have  I  thought  of  you  since  I  last  wrote. 
I  hope  you  will  remember  in  reading  this  unconnected 
epistle  the  circumstances  under  which  I  write;  that  I 
am  sitting  on  the  ground,  and  am  jostled  and  even  more 
seriously  interrupted  every  half  minute.  .  .  .  We 
have  gone  into  camp  here,  drill  grounds  selected,  and 
drills  ordered,  as  if  we  might  remain  for  a  few  days  at 
least.     Still  we  might  move  at  any  time." 

In  July  he  writes  to  his  mother  from  Staunton,  whither 
he  had  gone  from  camp  for  a  brief  visit : 

''  .  .  .  Rested  sweetly,  but  excited  at  the  idea  of 
leaving  for  Staunton.  Waked  early  Friday  morning 
and  was  soon,  with  numberless  commissions,  en  route  for 
Gordonsville,  where  I  left  my  mare  with  Brother  Cow- 
herd and  came  hither.  I  prayed  that  God  would  smile 
on  my  visit,  and  so  He  has,  as  never  were  two  days  more 
profitably  and  pleasantly  spent.  I  have  lately  felt  God's 
great  goodness  to  me.  He  has  indeed  made  my  cup  run 
over.  I  think  sometimes  my  heart  runs  over  too,  which 
in  turn  sweetens  the  joy  of  every  blessing." 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        75 

Here  is  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Staimton  to  one  of 
his  brothers: 

"I  do  not  think  of  you  now  with  exactly  the  same 
feelings  as  when  you  first  entered  the  service.  Then,  I 
was  positively  unhappy  as  I  lay  down  in  my  pleasant 
bed.     Now,   I  know,  by  experience,   one  can  sleep   very 

comfortably  on  the  ground.     .     .     .     B is  very  well 

and  full  of  life.  He  insists  that  his  name  is  not  James 
but  George — says  he  has  the  same  name  as  his  pa.  He  is 
a  very  good  boy.  .  .  .  Our  hospitals  have  much 
diminished  the  number  of  their  patients,  sending  off  large 
numbers,  to  try  to  clear  out  the  smallpox.  Still  I  have 
enough  to  do.  I  distribute  a  great  many  religious  papers 
from  Virginia  and  the  South.  I  also  attend  funerals  of 
soldiers  who  die.  I  am  favored  in  being  permitted  to 
keep  my  horse  at  the  government  stables.  I  am  glad 
your  mare  is  better  broke;  I  heard  of  her  tricks  at 
several  places  and  feared  you  might  get  hurt." 

Unable  to  get  permission,  even  by  applying  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  War,  to  go  to  the  Virginia  General  Association 
meeting  in  Richmond,  in  1863,  he  writes  to  his  brother: 

"...  In  case  I  cannot  attend  the  General  Asso- 
ciation I  enclose  the  following  contributions :  Staunton 
Church  and  Sunday  school,  $540.79.  .  .  .  George 
rides  behind  very  well — rode  ten  miles  the  other  day  on 
a  stretch.  He  is  getting  quite  into  the  merits  of  the  war 
— prays  for  the  sick  soldiers,  and  that  God  will  send  the 
Yankees  home — says  Lee  is  a  good  man  and  so  is  Jeff 
Davis — and  all  I  assure  you  in  no  parrot  strain.  He  is 
now  playing  soldier,  with  a  canteen  around  his  neck.'' 


76  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

On  May  29th,  1862,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  from  Win- 
chester : 

'^  .  .  .  I  left  that  evening.  .  .  .  Tuesday 
morning  I  joined  Brother  Fry.  and  we  trudged  along  very 
leisurely,  as  I  specially  was  heavily  loaded.  ...  As 
we  were  dining,  Tom  Peyton  and  Johnnie  Hoge  passed 
in  a  two-horse  huggy,  bound  for  Winchester  to  buy  goods. 
They  took  my  saddle-bags,  and  I  subsequently  got  part 
of  my  roll  on  a  wagon.  Yesterday  we  came  over  forty 
miles.  ...  At  Strasburg  Ave  saw  the  enemy's  forti- 
fications, where  it  had  been  supposed  they  would  stand. 
From  that  ])oint  to  this  were  strewn  the  evidences  of 
their  precipitate  flight — haversacks,  camp  kettles,  half- 
burnt  wagons,  hundreds  of  letters  and  newspapers. 
.  We  stayed  last  night  at  Cedar  Creek,  where  be- 
gan the  running  fight  which  lasted  till  this  place. 
This  morning  we  came  on  with  a  Colonel  who  took  us 
to  and  over  the  battle-field  of  Kernstown.  .  .  .  Went 
to  a  store,  where  T  1)ought  you  two  dresses  and  one  for 

B or  Sally,  with  all   necessary  trimmings. 

The  running  foe  tried  to  fire  the  town,  and  burnt  some 
buildings,  but  we  certainly  got  large  stores,  ammunition, 
guns,  wagons,  horses,  etc.,  besides  all  sorts  of  knicknacks 
from  the  sutlers'  establishments." 

In  these  letters  many  of  the  marked  characteristics  of 
Mr.  Taylor  shine  out ;  his  deep  religious  nature,  his 
generosity,  his  sympathy  with  men,  his  energy,  his  in- 
tellectual vigor.  Some  years  later  Mr.  Taylor  baptized 
Mr.  Mason,  to  whom  he  alludes  in  the  next  letter,  the 
ordinance  being  administered  in  Christianas  Creek,  as  Mr. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARD  MAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.         l  i 

Mason  desired  to  be  ba]itized  in  running  water  rather  than 
in  the  church  l)a])tisterv.  This  letter,  dated  December 
7th,  1863,  was  to  his  brother  Charles: 

"  .  .  .  Brethren  Abel,  Walton,  Hoge  and  Hughes 
and  Mr.  Mason  have  been  spending  the  evening  with  us 
and  have  just  left.  Mr.  M told  me  that  the  author- 
ities, to-day,  impressed  every  hog  he  had  (about  100),  but 
had  spared  my  four  which  he  was  keeping  for  me.  What 
a  noble  man  he  is !  Sometimes  I  almost  hope  he  is  a 
Christian.  We  had  to-night  some  conversation  about 
preparation  for  eternity.  I  feel  encouraged  and  stimu- 
lated to  greater  private  eiiort,  with  him  and  with  others, 
to  impart  spiritual  good.  How  prone  we  preachers  are 
to  preach  about  eternity,  but  out  of  the  pulpit  to  speak 
only  of  time !  Brother  Walton  goes  to  Richmond  to 
plead  for  Alleghany  College.  His  success  so  far  is  re- 
markable. If  nothing  unforeseen  occurs,  we  shall  com- 
pletely succeed.  AVe  have  need  of  great  patience,  but  I 
look  yet  to  see  our  school  a  fountain  of  good  to  Western 
Virginia.  I  have  given  him  a  bundle,  consisting  of 
blanket  for  Jenimie  (a  very  fine  one),  oil  cloth  for  you, 
and  mother's  shoes.  .  .  .  He  [the  baby,  George]  was 
almost  as  happy  Saturday  night,  when  I  brought  home 
father's  portrait,  exclaiming,  'O  my  grandpa  is  come!' 
It  is  an  excellent  picture ;  cost  me  only  thirty  dollars,  and 
I  would. not  sell  it  for  one  thousand,  so  that  I  begin  to 
think  that  Confederate  money  is  not  so  bad  after  all.  I 
only  regret  that  I  cannot  invest  ten  times  the  amount  in 
getting  similar  portraits  of  mother  and  all  my  dear  and 
handsome  relations.     It  is  not  the  lack  of  monev  that  is 


LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 


in  the  way.     .     .     .     Brother  A was  going  after  the 

corpse  of  a  medical  student,  who  was  at  his  house  when 
we  were,  and  who  j)robably  heard  no  warning  but  mine 
before  his  death.  This  fact,  with  attending  circum- 
stances, decided  me  to  discard  my  preparation  for  Sabbath 
morning  a.  m.,  and  preach  to  the  unconverted.     I  was  up 

late,  attending  to  getting  passports  for  Mrs.  K ,  and 

other  ladies,  who  were  going  down  the  Valley,  and  thtn 
up  very  early  Sunday  morning  to  get  them  off.  I  laid 
down  worn  out  and  fell  asleep,  waking  five  minutes  before 
eleven.  I  hurried  up,  .  .  .  feeling  poorly  prepared. 
Imagine  my  feelings  at  seeing  the  Pr(>sbyterian  congre- 
gation going  almost  en  masse  to  our  church.  But  I  tried 
to  cast  myself  on  the  Lord  and  try  to  save  souls — told  the 
people  about  my  having  changed  my  sermon  and  why  I 
had  done  so.  At  night  I  preached  to  a  j  ammed  house ; 
baptized  five  persons,  making  some  remarks.  I  came 
home  tired  and  hungry ;   met  the  new  housekeeper  [of  the 

Virginia  Hotel] ,  Mrs.  D ,  and,  accompanying  her  into 

the  store-room,  begged  her  for  some  milk.  She  gave  me, 
with  astonished  looks,  mother's  great  big  mug  full  of  rich, 
cold  milk.  How  delicious  the  draught,  especially  after  I 
had  added  sugar  (O  Vicksburg!),  and  some  of  Susan's 
whiskey.  .  .  .  ISTow  why  give  you  such  minutiae? 
Simply  because  I  have  often  heard  that  this  made  a  letter 
interesting,  and  I  want  to  try  the  experiment.  Following 
out  the  idea :  we  had  turkey  for  breakfast  this  morning.  1 1 
is  indeed  a  novelty,  but  who  shall  say  it  is  a  bad  conceit? 
Certainly  not  one  who  enjoyed  his  breakfast  as  I  did  this 
morning.    They  intended  to  have  the  turkey  for  supper  last 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARD^rAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        79 

night,  but  changed.  Query — Isn't  turkey  always  good  ? 
Query  again — Why  shouldn't  we  get  some  fashions  from 
the  Dutch,  and  not  all  from  the  French  i  I  saw  Schaffer 
buy  a  lot  of  the  bipeds  the  other  day  and  the  coop  is  in 
sight  of  my  window.  \  find  my  own  wood  now,  and  so  do 
others,  it  would  seem;  for,  painful  evidence  of  depravity, 
a  good  cord  was  brought  on  Friday  and  is  now  half  gone ! 
Schaffer  will  raise  to  $180  per  month  1st  of  January.  I 
am  positively  scared.  .  .  .  But  then  Schaffer  will 
give  us  any  quantity  of  sauer  kraut,  and  teach  us  to  speak 
Dutch  gratis  J  ^ 

In  the  summer  of  1860  the  buildings  of  the  ''Blue 
Sulphur,"  where  Alleghany  College  was  located,  had  been 
burned.  This  disaster,  together  with  the  war,  ended  the 
institution,  which  had  had  such  a  successful  beginning, 
and  which  gave  such  promise  of  large  growth  and  useful- 
ness. How  arduous  and  successful  Mr.  Taylor's  efforts 
were  for  the  College  is  proved  by  this  extract  from  a  letter 
to  his  wife  describing  his  work  for  the  College : 

^^  .  .  .  I  came  by  stage  to  this  place,  and  procur- 
ing a  horse  set  out  on  a  trip  through  the  country,  from 
which  I  have  just  returned.  A  most  fatiguing  one  it  has 
been,  the  horse  a  hard  trotter,  the  country  exceedingly 
broken.  ...  I  have  also  been  quite  successful, 
averaging  $400  per  day.  .  .  .  Now  I  only  lack  about 
$1,000  of  securing  Greenbrier's  quota.  .  .  .  The 
worst  of  my  experiences  this  week  has  been  my  not  hear- 
ing a  word  from  home,  not  being  able  since  Tuesday  to 
mail  you  a  letter.     This  has  been  a  sore  privation,  but  a 


80  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

necessary  one,  out  of  the  region  of  post  offices  as  I  have 
been/' 

The  next  letter  was  written  on  June  16th,  1864,  when 
once  again  Mr.  Taylor  was  keeping  house.  This  is  to  his 
brother  Charles : 

"...  Do  not  be  surprised  at  father's  reticence  on 
such  a  subject.  He  was  equally  reserved  to  me  when  I 
was  where  you  are.  Nay,  whenever  I  have  been  in 
similar  embarrassment.  He  is  so  from  principle — think- 
ing it  best  for  one  to  work  out  such  a  problem  alone  with 
God.  He  is  so  from  the  perfect  refinement  of  his  nature, 
which  makes  him  shrink  from  intermeddling  (even  when 
asked)  with  the  finer  issues  of  the  soul,  even  when,  nay 
all  the  more  when,  they  are  those  of  his  near  relations. 
And,  after  all,  you  will  find  more  and  more — the  mourn- 
fullest  thing  in  life — that  in  almost  everything  we  have 
to  go  by  ourselves.  In  a  lesser  sense  we  have  to  follow 
Him  who  ^trod  the  wine  press  alone.'  Specially  in  de- 
ciding questions  of  personal  duty  I  have  found  precious 
little  help  from  my  best  friends.  They  can  pray  for 
us — be  sorry  for  us — possibly  give  us  some  general  advice, 
but  after  all  everyone  must  for  himself  solve  the  problem. 
But  the  Holy  Ghost,  if  sought,  will  lead  us  into  all  truth 
and   duty.     .     .     .     Last  Wednesday   I   rose   early   and 

went   w^ith   B ,    encountering   ten   fences    to   Brother 

Summer  son's,  got  a  horse,  which  B rode  home  entirely 

alone  bareback,  I  on  ^Yankee.'  I  spent  the  day  in  plough- 
ing my  corn  and  potatoes,  and  in  hauling  two  loads  of 
wood.  Whether  it  was  fatigue,  hollering  ^Gee,'  'Haw,'  or 
cooling  off  too  fast,  I  don't  know,  but  I  soon  got  so  hoarse 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        81 

I  could  hardly  speak,  and  since  have  been  used  up  gener- 
ally. It  was  a  terrible  day's  work.  But  I  thought  I  ought 
to  work  the  corn.  ...  I  have  lately  read  a  good 
deal  in  Dr.  Johnson.  He  was  a  great  and  good  man.  I 
have  also  read  much  in  Macaulay,  Carlyle  and  Mackin- 
tosh. I  am  surprised  at  my  style  not  becoming  better. 
Send  me  an  essay  of  two  pages  on  the  foundation 
of  the  obligation  to  veracity,  and  I  will  do  anything  yo\i 
tell  me." 

Under  date  of  July  4th,  1804,  he  writes  to  his  brother 
Charles : 

"  .  .  .  The  cherries  are  nearly  gone,  but  they 
have  been  much  more  delicious  as  they  have  become  more 
perfectly  ripe.  .  .  .  My  old  Yankee  rip  has  improved 
finely.  I  have  ridden  him  three  days — one  day  nine 
miles — and  he  bids  fair  to  answer  for  my  riding.  It  is 
certainly  much  better  than  trudging  with  a  sore  heel  on 
a  hot  day.  But  J  fear  he  is  too  high  strung  for  the 
buggy.  ...  1  A\as  trying  last  night  to  teach  George 
and  Alice  about  the  soul  (s-o-u-1),  but  found  their  ideas 
all  of  s-o-l-e,  and  desisted  in  despair.  I  said,  'George, 
what  is  it  in  you  that  loves  me  ?  Is  it  your  hand  ?  Your 
foot?'  'JSTo,  Pa,  it's  my  love.'  .  .  .  Monday,  Ewell's 
corps  came  and  encamped  all  around  us,  Breckenridge's, 
Rhodes'  and  Gordon's  divisions  all  within  half  a  mile, 
and  the  two  former  within  three  hundred  yards.  Colonel 
Winston,  commanding  Daniel's  Brigade,  a  worthy  Baptist, 
had  headquarters  near  our  spring.  .  .  .  We  had  him, 
and  several  members  of  his  staff,  two  chaplains  and  a 
good  many  soldiers,  Joe  Ficklin  and  Carter  Braxton,  to 


82  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

take  meals  with  us,  besides  which  Sue  was  giving  milk 
or  bread,  or  sewing  on  buttons  or  something  for  some- 
body all  day.  It  was  rather  worrying,  but  we  both  en- 
joyed doing  something  for  the  'ragged  soldiers,'  as  George 
called  them.      .      .     .     Our  men  were   almost  uniformly 

well-behaved.       Colonel  D insisted  on    giving  us   a 

guard,  who,  however,  was  hardly  needed,  and  did  little 
but  protect  one  cherry  tree,  which  I  reserved.  The  rest 
were  filled  all  day,  well  picked,  and  highly  enjoyed  by 
the  men.  .  .  .  After  our  men  left,  we  got  some  in- 
valuable soap  grease;  I  bought  some  utensils.  We  could 
have  gotten  hundreds  of  dollars'  worth  had  we  descended 
to  the  grab  game  as  many  did." 

Mr.  Taylor  had  in  his  church  more  than  one  member 
who  was  generous  and  kind  to  the  pastor;  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  refers,  among  other  things,  to  a 
handsome  gift  from  one  of  this  number: 

"  .  .  .  T  have  just  had  the  present  of  a  fine 
cow  from  Mr.  Peyton.  I  feel  uncomfortably  grateful. 
I  wrote  you  of  my  preaching  on  the  Eternity  of  God. 
I  subsequently  lighted  on  a  subtle  disquisition  on  that 
theme  by  Addison  in  the  Spectator." 

It  may  be  well  to  quote  from  a  letter  to  his  brother 
Charles,  v^rritten  in  September,  1864,  in  order  that  later 
on  the  reader  may  see  how  Mr.  Taylor  eventually  gained 
a  victory  over  morbidness : 

"Though  but  yesterday  I  mailed  you  a  four-page  epistle, 
I  will  not  resist  the  inclination  to  pen  a  few  lines  more 
to-day.  I  have  enjoyed  the  summer  hugely,  principally 
in  the  opportunities  afforded  for  quiet  study.     I  fear  they 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        83 

are  over,  as  the  weather  requires  a  constant  fire,  and  I 
can't  afford  an  extra  one  for  myself.  I  think  I  would 
afford  it  so  far  as  the  money  goes,  but  I  have  great  fears 
about  getting  fuel  in  sufficiency  this  winter,  for  chamber 
and  kitchen.  ...  In  all  the  brightness  of  yesterday 
I  was  gloomy,  miserable.  To-day  I  have  felt  peaceful, 
if  not  happy.  .There  is  one  good  thing  in  these  miserable 
tits,  they  drive  one  to  prayer — such  prayer  as  one  does 
not  offer  morning  and  evening,  when  it  is  partly,  at  least, 
from  habit,  or  principle  at  best.  The  prayers  I  most 
enjoy,  or  rather  those  whose  blessed  effects  I  feel  most, 
I  put  up  on  horseback,  as  I  ride  in  solitude,  after  the 
cares  and  temptations  of  a  morning  in  tovm.  'Out  of  the 
depths  have  1  cried  unto  thee.'  I  am  conscious  there  is 
something  morbid  in  many  of  my  exercises.  Yet  I  can- 
not away  with  them  any  more  than  I  could  with  head- 
ache or  dyspepsia.  ...  I  feel  my  mind  is  what  a 
human  body  would  be,  were  the  skin  off — it  shrinks  and 
shivers  at  every  contact.  .  .  .  For  mother's  sake  I 
will  give  you  our  bill  of  fare.  Bacon,  snap  beans,  boiled 
corn,  coffee,  baked  apples  and  milk.  A  very  good  dinner. 
Often  do  I  say,  'When  all  Thy  mercies,  O  my  God !'  But 
don't  think  us  extravagant.  Vide  our  butterless  break- 
fasts and  suppers,  often  for  days  together.  Gravy  is  very 
good.  ...  I  have  just  had  a  new  illustration  of 
the  line:  'Maidens,  like  moths,  are  taken  with  the  glare.' 
We  have  raised  two  roosters — a  long-legged,  brilliant  game, 
and  a  short-coupled,  sturdy  Conestoga.  One  had  to  go 
up.  I  voted  the  game,  but  going  into  the  kitchen  found 
Sue  had  doomed  the  Conestoga,   and  the  fellow  of  gay 


84  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

plumage  will  be  cock  of  the  yard  in  future. 
Yesterday  was  another  of  my  happy  days.  ...  I 
spent  a  couple  of  hours  foraging — found  a  little  silver 
quite  influential.  Then  proceeded  to  hospital — then  got 
wagon  and  had  sugar  and  my  rations  brought  out — found 
a  fine  quarter  of  mutton,  bought  some  weeks  since,  had 
preceded  me.  After  a  hearty  dinner  of  Conestoga  pie 
.  .  .  went  to  Reserve  Camp  hard  by,  and  preached 
from  the  words  'It  is  finished,'  to  a  remarkably  attentive 
congregation.  On  returning  home,  did  not  lose  my 
placidity,  though  called  on  to  administer  quite  a  threshing 
to — an  apple  tree,  the  fruit  of  which  our  ladies  are  now 
peeling  to  dry.'' 

Mr.  Taylor  had  now  for  some  time  been  living  at  the 
Kinney  place  outside  of  Staunton.  The  letters  of  this 
year  show  that  the  suffering  caused  by  the  war  was  in- 
creasing.    This  letter  was  to  his  brother: 

"...  Getting  leave  of  absence  for  a  few  days 
gave  me  more  trouble  than  one  ought  to  have  to  cross  the 
Atlantic.  .  .  .  Got  a  half-fare  ticket  to  Rockbridge 
Baths  of  M.  G.  Harman,  paying  for  the  round  trip 
thirty  dollars.  Saturday  after  a  rather  earlier  breakfast 
of  flannel  cakes,  accompanied  by  Sue,  George  and  Sally, 
I  walked,  with  carpet  bag  in  hand,  to  the  gate  and  sat  on 
the  bridge  till  presently  the  stage  with  four  noble  white 
horses  hove  in  sight — said  horses  trotting  nimbly  enough, 
but  not  prancing,  as  the  picture  on  the  way-bills  and  ad- 
vertisements represents.  Took  an  outside  seat  and  enjoyed 
every  inch  of  the  ride.  It  turned  cold,  but  Brosius 
(driver)      loaned     me     overcoat.     .     .     .     We     reached 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.    D.  85 

Brother  D 's  house  by  three  o'clock.      ...     At  dusk 

Brother  D came  in  from  furnace,  and  six  or  seven 

girls,  just  from  Jump  Mountain.  .  .  .  Sunday  a.  m., 
a  good  deal  stuffed  up  with  cold,  I  started  on  a  Morgan 
stallion  for  Goshen.  You  know  the  wild  beauty  of  the 
scenery.  I  could  not  enjoy  it,  for  soon  it  began  to  rain 
and  it  was  more  than  I  could  do  to  keep  dry.  Preached 
to  a  very  small  congregation  indeed.  I  wondered  any  one 
was  out,  as  it  rained  steadily  from  nine  to  two.  .  .  . 
Monday  .  .  .  rode  back  to  Baths.  Tuesday  a.  m. 
took  a  bath  before  breakfast — rather  imprudent. 
A  stage  was  brought  out  solely  to  bring  me  over  about 
eight  miles  to  intercept  regular  stage  on  the  Greenville 
road.  Had  rather  a  stupid  ride  to  Staunton,  relieved  by 
Hazlitt's  Table  Talk — a  pleasant  book,  though  not  the  sort 
you  can  remember.  .  .  .  Aunt  Fannie  goes  down 
Saturday.  We  shall  send  mother  a  bag  of  dried  apples — 
our  own  work  and  very  nice.  .  .  .  She  must  count 
on  me  for  a  turkey  when  I  come.  .  .  .  You  have  no 
idea  how  hard  it  is  to  find  anything.  And  to  my  surprise, 
at  Goshen,  I  found  butter  six  dollars.'' 

The  next  letter,  addressed  to  his  mother,  and  dated 
March  1st,  1865,  helps  one  to  realize  that  the  end  of  the 
war  was  approaching: 

"...  On  Monday  we  had  a  grand  mass  meet- 
ing, and  raised  8,000  pounds  bacon,  140  barrels  flour,  and 
$100,000  as  a  contribution  for  the  Government.  Yester- 
day news  received  that  the  Yankees  are  approaching  in 
heavy  force.  I  came  home  and  commenced  hiding  my 
things,  principally  all  the  meat.     I  put  it  in  half  a  dozen 


86  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

different  places,  and  by  night  was  about  the  tiredest  man 
you  ever  saw.  .  .  .  We  think  the  Yankees  will 
probably  come.'' 

The  next  letter  refers  to  the  close  of  the  war.  During 
the  war  Mr.  Taylor  was  very  active  as  a  preacher  and 
took  an  important  part  in  the  revival  of  religion,  which 
swept  over  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  During  one 
of  his  absences  in  the  army,  his  family  being  refugees  in 
Danville,  his  third  child  was  born,  lived  a  few  weeks,  and 
died  before  news  could  reach  him  of  events  so  near  to 
his  heart.  Of  Grace,  this  little  one  who  was  cut  off  like 
a  flower,  he  used  to  say :  ''Whom  not  having  seen  I  love." 

A  few  weeks  after  the  surrender  of  Lee  at  Appomattox, 
Mr.  Taylor  wrote  as  follows  to  his  brother  from  Kichmond : 

"  .  .  .  Your  telegram  after  the  evacuation  was 
gratefully  received.  .  .  .  Unable  to  hear  anything 
from  father's  family,  and  feeling  a  deep  anxiety,  besides 
a  curiosity  to  see  the  outside  world,  and  a  desire  to  dis- 
cuss Hhe  situation'  with  somebody  out  of  Staunton,  I  deter- 
mined to  make  my  way  to  Richmond.  .  .  .  Three 
weeks  since  I  left  home  and  came  very  comfortably,  mak- 
ing the  interval  between  Mechum's  River  and  Keswick, 
twenty  miles,  on  foot,  and  with  a  hand  car.  ...  I 
have  just  made  a  hurried  trip  to  Baltimore,  where  I  re- 
ceived a  most  cordial  welcome  from  my  old  friends,  and 
had  a  delightful  time,  though  I  was  quite  sick  for  two 
days — in  fact  I  have  been  ^donsy'  ever  since  leaving  home. 
I  bought  a  good  many  articles  of  necessity  for  our  folks 
here  and  for  myself,  and  received  one  or  two  presents. 
The  June  meetings  have  been  unusually  interesting.     I 


REV.  GEORGE  BOAKDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        87 

have  never  heard  more  good  and  less  poor  speaking. 
.  .  .  Last  night  I  aided  in  the  ordination  of  Thomas 
Hume,  Jr.,  who  takes  charge  of  the  First  Church,  Peters- 
burg. 

^^I  was  glad  to  hear  that  jou  had  so  promptly  gone  to 
work.  It  was  a  wise  and  noble  step,  and  will  be  greatly 
conducive  to  your  happiness.  In  times  like  these,  we  need 
to  be  actively  engaged  to  keep  from  being  unhappy.  For 
my  part  I  accept  the  facts  as  indicating  God's  will,  and 
acquiesce  with  a  peace  of  mind  I  had  not  thought  possible. 
Perhaps  it  is  a  fulfilment  of  the  promise,  'As  thy  day  is 
so  shall  thy  strength  be.'  Still  I  confess  that  ever  and 
anon  the  sad  facts  come  over  me  with  fresh  power,  and 
almost  crush  and  paralyze  me.  But  it  is  all  right,  and 
we  must  remember  that  we  are  chiefly  connected  with  a 
kingdom  which  is  'not  of  this  world.'  ...  I  am  not 
without  fears  for  the  future.  The  North  is  now  as 
clamorous  for  negro  suffrage  as  they  were  for  emanci- 
pation. Then  I  fear  for  the  negro  himself,  lest  he  be 
crushed  between  the  upper  and  nether  millstone.  But 
I  have  faith  that  God  will  overrule  all  things  for  the 
best  interests  of  His  cause  and  people.  Dr.  Sampson 
spent  an  evening  with  us.  He  thinks  the  South  has 
achieved  a  moral  and  substantial  victory — that  slavery 
will  essentially  continue,  and  that  we  will  bear  our  full 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  country.  I  feel  a  deep  solici- 
tude for  our  late  President,  and  bear  very  hardly  the  dis- 
memberment of  our  old  Mother  State.  But  because  a 
Christian,  I  hope  to  be  a  good  citizen." 


CHAPTER  IV 

The  "  Recon<tru<aion  Period  " —  University  Chaplaincy — Trip  to  Europe 

Ah,  happy  hills,  ah.  pleasing  shade, 


Where  once  my  careless  childhood  strayed. 

— Gray. 
+ 

If  times  wore  hard  with  the  ])eople  of  the  South  during 
the  war,  the  situation  was  in  many  respects  more  desperate 
in  the  years  which  immediately  followc^d.  Certainly  this 
was  the  case  with  Mr.  Taylor.  The  hardships  which  he 
and  his  wife,  neither  of  them  very  strong  in  body,  had  to 
bear,  made  a  serious  draft  «m  their  constitutions,  yet  how 
cheerful  was  their  spirit,  how  earnest  their  work,  how 
large  and  kind  their  hospitality  I  Let  Mr.  Taylor's  letters 
go  on  w^ith  the  story.  As  will  be  seen  from  this  first  letter, 
the  family  moved,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  from  the  country, 
to  rented  rooms  in  town,  remaining  there  until  Mr. 
Taylor  purchased  the  old  ^'Harraff  House,"  which  had 
been  built  in  1796.     To  his  mother  he  writes: 

'^  .  .  .  Thursday,  busy  taking  down  bedsteads, 
packing  books  and  otherwise  preparing  to  move. 
In  the  p.  M.  rode  some  thirteen  miles  on  horseback  to 
marry  a  couple.  Had  a  fine  supper,  and  pretty  pleasant 
time,  but  got  only  five  dollars.  Had  fully  intended  to 
remain  all  night,  but  on  thinking  how  necessary  I  and 


From  a  Photograph  by  Miley,  about  1871 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        89 

my  horse  would  be  the  next  morning,  I  determined  to 
brave  the  long,  cold  and  lonely  ride.  I  reached  home 
about  midnight,  with  a  fine  bundle  of  cake,  and  Sue  and 
George  got  up  and  made  a  fire  and  sat  with  me  in  their 
night  gowTis,  while  I  warmed.  Such  moments  are  among 
the  pleasant  episodes  of  life.     Friday  and  Saturday  were 

devoted  to  moving,  our  ever  kind  Mr.  P sending  his 

great  big  wagon,  and  a  hired  one  with  my  horse  also  run- 
ning. .  .  .  We  are  in  the  second  story  of  the  'Old 
National.'  One  immense  room  has  been  cut  into  four. 
.  ,  The  main  inconvenience  is  having  but  one  en- 
trance and  having  no  store-room  or  closet.  We  have  a 
nice  new  cooking  stove,  and  shall  eat  in  the  kitchen  this 
winter.  The  servants  have  a  nice  room,  elegantly  fur- 
nished, upstairs.  Brother  J.  B.  Hoge  and  family  occupy 
the  rest  of  the  floor.  There  are,  besides,  perhaps  a  dozen 
different  families  from  garret  to  cellar  .  .  .  and  the 
provost  marshal  has  his  office  and  quarters  down  stairs. 
I  do  not  repine,  indeed  am  conscious  of  being  better  oft" 
than  I  deserve  and  have  no  doubt  we  shall  be  happy  here, 
but  you  can  readily  see  I  shall  be  in  some  respects  far 
from  comfortable.  .  .  .  Now  I  must  tell  you  of  an 
annoyance  which  would  have  tried  the  patience  of  Job. 
You  know  I  made  a  fine  crop  of  oats.  It,  with  some  hay, 
was  hauled  over  here,  and  with  some  difficulty  was  stored 
in  my  basement  stable.  The  last  of  the  four  immense 
loads  was  just  fairly  in  Saturday  p.  m.,  when  knock,  knock 
at  the  door.  In  walked  the  town  sergeant!  ^You  will 
have  to  remove  all  that  provender  at  once.  Against  town 
ordinance.'     I  got  a  respite  till  to-day,  then  went  out  and 


90  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

sold  my  provender  at  a  sacrifice.  I  am  so  used  to  siicti 
things,  have  scarcely  been  vt^orried.  Have  to-day  sold 
one  cow  and  arranged  temporarily  to  keep  the  other  and 
horse  at  a  neighboring  stable.  I  start  in  the  a.  m.  for 
Lexington,  to  remain  several  days.'^ 

The  next  letter  records  the  birth  of  a  fourth  daughter, 
Mary.  Keference  is  made  to  Kev.  A.  H.  Sands,  a  preacher 
and  also  an  able  lawyer  and  author.  Sally  Moore,  to  whom 
reference  is  made,  was  the  child  who,  born  November  6th, 
1863,  had  died  of  diphtheria,  August  14th,  1865 : 

"  .  .  .  During  the  past  ten  days  I  have  been  a 
constant  sufferer  with  rheumatism.  I  could  scarcely,  for 
hours  together,  move  myself  on  the  bed,  and  in  fact  could 
not  be  moved  without  suffering.  I  have  found  partial 
relief  from  cupping,  and  the  application  of  spirits  of 
turpentine.  Yesterday  a.  m.,  a  little  after  midnight, 
Susan  .  .  .  became  the  mother  of  another  daughter. 
George  is  overflowing  with  happiness.  /  am  thankful 
for  the  babe,  and  that  it  is  robust  and  perfect  and  pretty 
and  that  Sue  is  so  well,  but  uiy  joy  is  very  sober.  l!iot  only 
are  my  thoughts  constantly  of  my  golden-haired  Sally 
Moore;  but  I  feel  how  probably  we  will  keep  this  little 
one  only  long  enough  to  love  her  and  to  make  parting  a 
pang.  This,  however,  should  only  guard  me  against  an 
idolatrous  love.  If  a  friend  loans  me  a  lovely  flower  to 
bloom  in  my  window,  should  I  forbear  to  enjoy  it  simply 
because  he  may  some  day  recall  it  ?  Specially  if  I  knew 
that  he  is  a  wise  and  good  friend,  and  will  not  take  the 
flower  back,  unless  it  be  for  its  good  and  my  highest 
happiness  in  the  end.     Specially  if  I  am  assured  he  will 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        91 

one  day  give  it  to  me  again  to  keep  always.  What  a 
solution  of  difficulties  could  be  afforded  by  the  constant 
remembrance — the  deep  conviction  of  the  oneness  of  the 
two  lives,  this  and  that  side  of  Jordan — of  the  nearness 
and  narrowness  of  that  stream ! 

"Urged  by  J.  B.  T.  Jr.,  A.  H.  S.  and  others,  I  came 
home  resolved  to  make  a  fair  trial  of  writing  out  sermons. 
Have  written  out  two.  Am  rather  pleased  with  result. 
But  it  is  still  an  experiment.  Of  this  I  am  satisfied,  it 
is  at  least  no  more  labor — I  question  if  'tis  as  much  to 
write  out  a  sermon  as  to  prepare  it  equally  well  without 
writing.  I  shall  be  very  glad  some  day  to  have  you  and 
others,  who  can  judge  and  are  candid,  hear  me  and  tell 
me  how  I  can  be  most  effective — by  writing  or  by  not 
writing.  .  .  .  During  my  sick  spells  have  been  read- 
ing Sterne.  Uncle  Toby  is  such  a  character,  and  the 
quotations  from  the  book  are  so  general  that  I  thought 
it  not  wrong  to  read  it.  It  is  a  book  full  of  wit  and 
humor  and  eloquence  and  human  nature,  but  in  places 
tiresome  and  often  vile  and  impure.  .  .  .  Have  lately 
read  several  of  Wayland's  sermons.  He  is  distinguished 
for  Doric  simplicity  and  stateliness." 

After  the  war,  Mr.  Taylor  was  in  the  habit  of  preach- 
ing on  Sunday  afternoons  in  the  basement  of  his  church 
to  the  colored  people.  In  a  letter  to  his  brother  he  says : 
"Last  Sunday  I  baptized  six  colored  persons.  My  colored 
congregations  large  and  interesting."  The  following 
sentence  is  but  one  of  many  evidences  of  what  a. faithful 
pastor  he  was :  "I  have  solemnly  resolved  to  attempt  sixty 


92  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

pastoral  visits  this  week,  preparatory  to  going  to  Scotts- 
ville  next  week  to  help  Long  in  a  protracted  meeting." 

In  a  letter  dated  February  10th,  1867,  he  writes  to  his 
brother : 

''  .  .  .  During  the  past  week  I  have  been  reading 
^Ecce  Homo.-  I  find  much  in  it  to  differ  from,  still  I 
think  it  a  book  to  do  some  minds  great  good.  ...  I 
have  set  to  work  in  good  earnest  to  finish  ^Coster  Grew, 
or  the  Young  Machinist' — mean  to  finish  it  in  a  few 
days.  This  and  my  sermons  and  my  visits  will  absorb 
me  for  a  few  days." 

Before  this  time  Mr.  Taylor  had  published  ""'The  Oak- 
land Stories,"  a  series  of  four  volumes,  '"Kenny,"  ''Cousin 
Guy,^'  "Claiborne,"  "Gustave,"  for  young  people,  the 
scene  of  these  books  being  laid  in  Baltimore.  They  were 
written  on  the  same  general  plan  as  the  "Abbott  Books," 
yet  with  an  individuality  of  their  own.  They  had  a  wide 
circulation  and  must  have  given  much  pleasure  and  done 
great  good.  "Coster  Grew,"  a  Sunday-school  story  with 
a  healthy,  religioTis  tone,  appeared  in  a  short  time,  and 
has  proved  so  popular  that  it  is  still  published.  It  was 
followed  by  "Roger  Bernard,"  another  Sunday-school 
story  of  about  the  same  length. 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  under  date  of  July 
15th,  1867,  he  alludes  to  Dr.  B.  Sears,  the  agent  of  the 
Peabody  Fund: 

"...  Friday  night,  by  invitation,  I  took  tea  at 
General  Echols'  with  Dr.  Barnas  Sears,  and  on  Satur- 
day I  had  him  to  dine  with  me.  .  .  .  He  is  very 
affable,  catholic  in  spirit  and  interesting  in  conversation. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        93 

Yesterday  I  preached  three  times,  besides  con- 
ducting Sunday  school  and  colored  people's  meeting,  and 
to-day  feel  as  much  like  a  cabbage  as  a  man." 

In  his  anniversary  sermon  in  Staunton,  already  quoted 
from,  Mr.  Taylor  thus  referred  to  the  coming  to  Staunton 
of  two  distinguished  men : 

^'The  removal  to  Staunton,  just  after  the  war,  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Barnas  Sears,  who  had  baptized  Oncken,  and 
been  president  of  Brown  University,  and  later  of  Brother 
John  Hart,  M.  A.,  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  was  a 
providential  blessing  to  the  Baptist  cause  here.  For  the 
first  time  in  its  history  this  church  had  members,  th(^ 
peers  in  every  respect  of  the  first  citizens.  They  were 
both  men  of  very  high  character  and  position,  and  as 
church  members  their  influence  was  the  best  possible." 

The  next  letter,  dated  August  6th,  1867,  refers  to  the 
completion  of  the  railroad  to  Covington.  This  road,  now 
known  as  the  Chesapeake  and  Ohio,  extends,  to-day, 
exactly  as  its  name  says,  from  the  Chesapeake  Bay  to  the 
Ohio  River: 

^^'  .  .  .  I  also  attended  the  picnic  and  speaking  at 
Covington,  in  honor  of  the  railroad  opening  to  that  place. 
.  .  .  We  spent  the  night  at  Brother  Abraham's,  and 
the  next  day  was  occupied  in  a  grand  Sunday-school  cele- 
bration.    I  spoke  an  hour  before  dinner  on  ^the  hand,'  and 

Dr.  B after  dinner  on  'habit'      .      .      .      Sunday  was 

a  heavy  day  with  me ;  I  attended  five  services,  besides 
communion." 

The  "Lyceum"  mentioned  in  the  next  letter  had  in  it 
the  leading  lawyers,  the  ministers  and  other  literary  people 


Vi  LIFE    A^T)    LETTERS    OF 

•  »f  the  xovm,  and  Mr.  Taylor  keenly  enjoyed  the  meet- 
ings, taking  an  active  part.  He  writes  to  his  brother 
Charles : 

•*  .  .  .  In  the  p.  M.  I  heard  a  colored  brother 
preach.  I  may  have  been  prejudiced  against  him  from 
knowing  of  his  trying  to  bite  off  his  master's  nose 
but  he  did  not  edify  me  mtich.  Friday  night  we  had 
quite  a  spirited  debate  at  the  Lyceum,  in  which  I  partici- 
pated, on  the  morality  of  drinking  spirits  as  a  beverage. 
We  whipped  out  the  liquor  men.  fair  fight.  .  .  . 
Vale,  vale,  sed  spero  non  longum  vale,  carissime  frater. 
Georgius  Apis  Sartor/' 

At  this  time,  in  order  to  supplement  his  salary,  which 
was  small  and  inadequate.  Mr.  Taylor  taught,  for  one  or 
two  sessions,  a  select  private  school.  It  is  certain  that 
he  was  overburdened  with  work.  AUusion  is  also  made 
to  Rev.  W.  E.  Hatcher,  D.  D.,  for  many  years  pastor  of 
the  Grace  Street  Baptist  Church,  Richmond.  Va.  To  his 
brother  he  writes : 

^^  .  .  .  We  expect  Hatcher  to  deliver  his  lecture 
here  on  the  26th.  .  .  .  Our  choir  is  also  in  high 
practice  for  a  concert  for  benefit  of  our  church.  ...  I 
give  Dwight  Sears  two  lessons  per  week  in  Cicero  and  two 
in  Xenophon.  He  also  recites  four  mornings  a  week  in  a 
!N^atural  Philosophy  class.  .  .  .  My  school  jogs  on. 
Sometimes  I  feel  that  it  will  worry  my  very  life  out  of 
me,  and  perhaps  involve  me  in  difficulties  with  somebody. 
.  .  .  But  I  could  not  have  lived  without  the  pittance 
it  affords,  and  I  trust  patience  is  being  cultivated.  .  .  . 
T  have  never  known  such  pressure  as  I  now  feel." 


REV.  GEOBGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        95 

The  next  letter,  also  to  his  brother  Charles,  is  dated 
April  4th.  1868: 

"...  This  week  George  and  I  have  been  sleep- 
ing upstairs.  .  .  .  The  new  boy,  alias  Carter  Brax- 
ton, is  pronounced  by  experts  to  be  a  Xo.  1,  and  even  I 
am  impressed  by  his  blended  talent  and  amiability. 

''Last  night,  by  special  request  of  the  Lyceum,  I  re- 
peated my  lecture.  Being  very  unwell,  I  was  much  ex- 
hausted and  spent  a  wakeful,  restless  night,  in  consequence 
of  which  I  have  been  wretchedly  sick  to-day.  ...  I 
am  in  receipt  of  a  letter  informing  me  of  my  appoint- 
ment as  agent  and  chaplain  of  Hollins  Institute.  The 
appointment  to  be  a  permanent  one.  ...  I  have 
little  or  no  idea  of  accepting,  though  I  may  take  a  tour  for 
them  in  the  summer." 

In  the  next  letter  he  alludes  to  the  meeting,  in  May, 
1868,  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  Baltimore. 
and  to  speeches  made  by  Rev.  Drs.  A.  M.  Poindexter  and 
J.  L.  M.  Curry.  Dr.  Curry  was  member  of  Congress 
before  the  Civil  War:  agent  of  the  Peabody  Fund,  and 
minister  to  Spain  under  President  Cleveland: 

"...     Father,     mother,     .J.     W.     Jones,     T.     E. 
Skinner  and  I  stayed  at  Brother  Wilson's,  i.  e..  night ed 
and  breakfasted  there,  for  we  dined  at  the  church.     .     . 
The  meeting  was  as  spiritual  as  any  I  have  ever  attended, 
indicating  wonderful  vitality  on  the  part  of  our  people. 

.  .  The  best  speeches  of  the  meeting  were  by  A.  ^I. 
Poindexter  and  Curry,  both  of  them  being  very  power- 
ful. I  didn't  say  a  word  during  convention,  nor  make 
a  motion.     I    get  more  and    more  ditHdent    every  year. 


96  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

I  teaed  one  evening  with  Sheldon  at  his  hotel. 
He  rather  urged  me  to  write  for  the  Galaxy J^ 

In  the  summer  of  1868  Mr.  Taylor  made  a  trip  to  iN^ew 
England  in  the  interests  of  Hollins  Institute.  He  wrote 
concerning  this  trip : 

^'I  found  Bellingham  a  small,  quiet  village  made  up 
mostly  of  farmers  owning  from  ten  to  twelve  acres  in  the 
neighborhood.  ...  I  preached  at  10.30  and  5.30. 
I  made  a  brief  statement  to  the  congregation 
about  Hollins  Institute,  and  Mr.  Massey  followed,  warm- 
ly commending  it ;  whereupon  an  elderly  man  rose  and, 
interrupting  him,   inquired  whether   it   admitted   colored 

girls.       Mr.   M evaded    the   question.       I   rose   and 

answered  it.  I  was  informed  that  it  was  the  hahit  of  this 
man  thus  to  rise  and  ask  questions,  and  that  in  this  in- 
stance he  did  not  represent  the  public  feeling.  .  .  . 
Called  at  Cousin  Elisha  Appleton's.  .  .  .  His  wife,  a 
lovely  Christian  woman,  as  cordial  and  graceful  in  her 
cordiality  as  our  best  Virginia  ladies.  William  H.  Apple- 
ton,  aged  twenty-six,  graduate  of  Harvard,  just  complet- 
ing his  law  studies,  and  appointed  Tutor  of  Greek  at  Har- 
vard for  next  session — a  very  fine  fellow.  The  other  son, 
graduate  of  Brown  and  Assistant  Professor  Chemistry 
there,  absent.  ...  In  the  main  I  declined,  while 
ISTorth,  to  answer  challenges,  thinking  discussion  useless 
and  dangerous.  But  on  this  occasion  we  had  a  very 
spirited  but  entirely  friendly  talk,  and  I  think  I  gave 
them  some  new  views.  .  .  .  Being  a  poor  man  I 
deemed  that  economy  demanded  I  should  go  to  E'ewport, 
which  I  did,  and  bathed  in  the  surf  in  a  pouring  rain. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        97 

The  sensations  and  emotions  among  the  most  delightful 
T  ever  experienced.  I  sang  and  danced  and  jumped  and 
hallooed  and  laughed.     I  could  not  help  it." 

The  next  letter,  addressed  to  his  brother  Charles,  tells 
of  a  very  different  kind  of  trip  from  the  one  just  described : 

^^  .  .  .  Monday  a.  m.,  on  one  of  my  farm  horses, 
I  started  for  Deerfield.  I  had  anticipated  your  company 
on  that  ride  with  peculiar  interest.  I  had  along  two 
books  which  I  proposed  we  should  discuss  en  route  and  at 

D ,  ^Bishop  Meade's  Life'  and  I.  Taylor's  Thysical 

Theory  of  Another  Life.'  The  former  I  am  disappointed 
in.  What  relates  to  him  personally  is  fresh  and  pleasant, 
but  so  much  about  the  trial  of  Onderdonk,  etc.,  disgusted, 
or  at  least  wearied,  me.  The  latter  I  have  long  wanted  to 
see  and  am  now  perusing  with  interest,  H.  Hatcher  was 
to  have  been  at  Deerfield,  and  T  went,  as  much  as  any- 
thing to  have  a  good  time;  but  he  failed  to  attend,  so  I 
had  at  once  to  take  the  laboring  oar,  which  was  the  more 
pleasa,nt,  as  that  is  a  neighborhood  where  I  am  *much 
thoughted  of.'  I  preached  five  times ;  four  persons  were 
baptized  ...  I  came  home  to-day,  riding  nearly  all 
the  time  in  the  rain." 

On  January  2nd,  1869,  he  writes  to  his  brother  Charles : 

'^  .  .  .  We  ought  to  speak — I  mean  intimate 
friends — more  frequently  on  their  religious  experiences, 
and  when  they  do  so  it  should  be  simply  and  naturally,  as 
on  other  themes.  ...  I  have  just  put  into  clear 
shape  a  difficulty  I  have  often  found  in  writing  such  a 
letter  as  this.  I  have  nothing  but  trifles,  and  these  so 
numerous  that  it  is  hard  either  to  discriminate  or  to  write 


98  I.IFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

them  all.  So  I  frequently  in  disgust  don't  write  at  all, 
or,  if  I  do,  only  in  the  baldest  style.  Would  you  be  in- 
terested in  hearing  that  the  shirt  I  was  to  put  on  to-morrow 
was  put  on  the  stove  and  burned  to  death,  and  that  there- 
upon I  held  my  peace ;  that  our  cook  has  left,  and  for 
two  days  Sue  has  officiated,  George  and  I  doing  chores ; 
that  a  beggar  came  here  night  before  last  purporting  to 
have  been  baptized  by  Spurgeon,  and  telling  me  a  horrible 
story  of  his  misfoi-tunes,  and  that  I  gave  him  a  supper 
and  then,  taking  him  down  to\Mi,  paid  my  last  half  dollar 
for  his  lodging;  that  I  have  finished  'Tl.  B.,'  and  am 
merely  putting  on  some  finishing  touches  (a  bull!) — via, 
can't  you,  Avithout  trouble,  send  me  a  few  selected  prose 
or  poetical  mottoes,  to  put  at  the  beginnings  of  the 
chapters? — that  my  text  to-morrow  is  'the  joy  of  the  Lord 

is  your  strength' ;   that  by  loss  of , ,  etc.,  my 

salary  is  not  likely  to  be  over  $500  this  year!  that  I 
have  been  very  good  for  nothing  this  week? — that  we 
have  begun  to  have  only  two  meals  jyer  diem  ?  No,  I  am 
sure  these  things  cannot  interest  you,  so  I  close." 

When  Mr.  Taylor's  father  was  chaplain  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia,  the  term  of  service  was  only  one  year. 
Now  it  had  for  some  time  been  two.  Mr.  Taylor's  name 
having  been  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  place,  he 
wrote  as  follows  to  his  brother  Charles,  then  a  student 
at  the  University: 

"I  have  shrunk  from  replying  to  your  inquiry  touch- 
ing my  acceptance  of  the  chaplaincy.     Hence  my  delay. 

"While  I  could  not  be  an  applicant — much  less  a  com- 
petitor— for  the  position,  I  should  certainly  be  gratified 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.        99 

to  have  the  appointment  conferred  on  me.  Moreover, 
while  I  think  it  would  be  discourteous  to  my  church  for 
me  to  say  absolutely,  in  advance,  that  I  would  accept  the 
office,  if  it  were  tendered  me ;  and  while,  indeed,  I  could 
hardly  decide  positively  such  a  question,  unless  it  were 
fairly  before  me,  for  decision;  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  my 
estimate  of  the  position,  as  offering  opjx^rtunities  of  use- 
fulness and  of  personal  improvement,  is  such  that  1  cer- 
tainly feel  as  much  inclined  to  it  as  one  ought  to  feel  to 
any  place  which  has  not  been  offered  him.  This  I  say 
very  frankly;  and  add  my  opinion,  that  were  I  cordially 
invited  to  be  cha])lain  of  the  Fniversity,  and  were  there 
no  obstacles  in  the  way  of  which  I  iun  now  ignorant,  the 
attractions  which  1  have  mentioned  would  even  induce 
me  to  sever  a  pleasant  pastoral  connection  of  twelve  years' 
standing,  and  assume  duties,  which,  though  pleasant,  yet 
seem  to  me  peculiarly  responsible,  and  from  which  T 
shrink  with  unaffected  diffidence." 

The  following  letter,  dated  February  15th,  1869,  and 
addressed  to  his  brother  Charles,  refers  to  Rev.  Cornelius 
Tyree,  a  noted  Virginia  pastor  evangelist  at  that  time : 

^^  .  .  .  The  truth  is  our  meeting  has  absorbed  all 
my  time  and  thoughts  for  a  fortnight.     .     .     .     We  have 

had    preaching   twice    daily.      Brother    T preached 

well  to  large  and  attentive  congregations.  .  .  .  He  is 
quite  a  study.  With  by  no  means  broad  mind,  or  great 
originality,  he  has,  by  making  preaching  a  specialty 
(which  every  preacher  should  do),  become  a  very  good  ser- 
monizer.  To  this  is  added  great  earnestness  of  spirit  and 
manner.    He  made  a  fine  impression  here ;  and  Dr.  Sears, 


100  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

who  heard  two  or  three  of  his  best  sermons,  liked  him  very 

much.     .     .     .     Brother  T stayed  at  our  house  and 

was  very  little  trouble,  and  on  the  whole  a  pleasant  and 
profitable  companion.  ...  At  night  we  had  the 
largest  crowd  I  have  ever  seen  here.  I  had  considerable 
liberty — preaching  very  colloquially,  with  little  gesture. 
Of  the  latter  I  am  trying  to  use  less  and  less.  My  earlier 
performances,  in  this  regard,  must  have  been  very  ridicu- 
lous— as  are  some  of  them  now.  .  .  .  We  have  had 
one  or  two  rather  remarkable  instances  of  Divine  grace — 
the  reclaiming  of  a  very  wicked  man;  the  subduing  of  a 
proud  girl,  who  a  few  days  before  declared  nothing  on 
earth  would  induce  her  to  be  immersed.     .      .     .     Elder 

T is  very  delicate  and  cousiderate  in  his  treatuient 

of  a  pastor,  and  I  don't  think  my  hands  have  been 
weakened  by  the  meeting,  though  the  people  wer(^  wonder- 
fully carried  away." 

The  next  letter  refers  to  his  election  to  the  chaplaincy 
of  the  T University.  Dr.  Socrates  Maupin  was  at  that  timc^ 
the  chairman  of  the  faculty,  and  Dr.  James  L.  Cabell 
the  distinguished  professor  of  physiology  and  surgery. 
He  is  writing  to  his  brother  Charles: 

"I  received  a  very  kind  (official)  letter  from  Dr. 
Maupin,  and  one  equally  kind  from  Dr.  Cabell.  I  have 
just  replied  to  each,  to  the  effect  that  I  will  consider  and 
decide  without  unnecessary  delay.  The  fact  is  that  while 
I  have  a  feeling  that  I  will  go,  I  must  consider  and  pray 
before  reaching  a  formal,  final  conclusion.  .  .  .  You 
feel  a  natural  pleasure  at  the  appointment;  but  you  can 
hardly  realize  the  pain  I  suffer  in  even  the  thought  of 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       101 

It'aving  here,  specially  since  the  last  meeting,  and  its 
precious  results.  .  .  .  Pray  for  me.  I  feel  almost 
overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  unworthiness,  weakness  and 
responsibility,  and  the  delicacy  of  my  position." 

Before  the  following  letter  was  written,  which  by  the 
way  is  illustrated,  as  his  letters  were  now  and  then,  with 
several  little  thumb-nail  pen  sketches,  he  had  accepted  the 
FJniversity  chaplaincy.  This  letter  also  is  to  his  brother 
Charles  : 

^*  .  .  .  I  have  done  very  little  this  week.  Have 
been  very  unwell — partly  my  own  imprudence ;  and  I  have 
this  day  resolved,  in  the  fear  of  God,  to  be  more  careful 
in  obeying  all  the  laws  of  health.  .  .  .  To-day  T 
have  attended  (unofficially)  two  funerals  from  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  gone  to  grave  both  times.  One,  the 
funeral  of  Mrs.  McClung,  aged  eighty-eight,  one  of  my 
first  friends  in  Staunton,  sister  of  old  Dr.  Archibald 
Alexander,  whom  she  much  resembled.  Sue  has  sore 
throat,  from  walking  in  the  March  wind,  which  is  always 
peculiarly  severe  on  her.  .  .  .  George  has  been  for 
some  time  very  anxious  to  be  baptized.  I  have  thought 
some  delay  judicious,  but  I  trust  he  is  a  child  of  Jesus, 
and  I  don't  mean  to  refuse  permission  to  him  to  follow 
the  Saviour.  ^Roger  Bernard'  was  promptly  accepted  by 
the  A.  B.  P.  S.,  and  paid  for,  though  it  will  not  be  issued 
for  some  time.  ...  I  somewhat  expect  to  be  off  on 
third  Sunday,  preaching  and  baptizing  at  Craigsville." 

The  origin  of  ^'Poger  Bernard"  is  interesting.  Robert 
S.  Prichard,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Taylor,  while  engaged  in 
nmning  the  blockade  between  the  United  States  and  the 


102  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

West  Indies,  had  some  very  thrilling  adventures.  He 
wrote  out  the  story  of  these  adventures,  but  was  unable  to 
secure  its  purchase  and  publication.  Whereupon  Mr. 
Taylor  used  the  story,  and  wrote  ^^Roger  Bernard,"  which 
was  sold  for  $175.00,  the  nephew  receiving  a  liberal  pro- 
portion of  this  amount.  In  all,  up  to  this  time  his  ^^un- 
])retending  volumes,"  as  Mr.  Taylor  called  them,  had 
brought  in  about  $1,000.  The  next  letter  refers  to  another 
book,  which  he  was  working  on  in  competition  for  a  prize 
offered  by  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society. 
This  book,  "Walter  Ennis,"  while  it  did  not  win  the  prize, 
was  a  most  interesting  and  inspiring  story  of  the  early 
struggles  of  Virginia  Baptists  for  religious  liberty.  He 
writes  to  his  brother: 

I  am  somewhat  troubled  in  thinking  of 
my  preaching  at  the  Fni vol's ity.  To  use  MS.  will  be  to 
sacrifice  power  as  well  as  to  involve  a  deal  of  drudgery 
in  writing.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  I  tremble  at  venturing 
before  such  an  audience  trusting  to  the  inspiration  of  the 
moment  for  my  words  and  sentences.  .  .  .  Now  \ 
propose  that  you  and  I  write  jointly  for  at  least  two  of 
these  prizes,  dividing  equally  the  proceeds.  I  am  sure  we 
can  get  one  or  two  of  them.  I  will  go  on  now  and  do 
what  I  can  reading  and  writing.  You  do  what  you  can 
thinking  and  plotting,  and  in  July  you  can  come  over  her(^ 
and  I  will  put  the  thing  right  through.  I  have  finished 
Campbell  and  am  now  on  RivcV  'Madison'  and  'Semple.'  " 
The  next  letter,  to  "Dear  Charles,"  is  dated  March 
19th,  1869: 
"...     John  William  Jones  spent  yesterday  and 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       103 

last  night  with  us,  and  Elder  P.  C.  Hoge  took  tea  with 
us.  We  all  had  a  pleasant  evening.  Jones  had  designed 
to  deliver  a  pay  lecture  on  'Religion  in  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia'  for  the  benefit  of  his  church.  .  . 
He  expects  to  deliver  it  in  Richmond  and  elsewhere. 
Many  of  the  people  are  waking  up  more  and 
more  about  my  leaving,  and  would  guarantee  a  good 
salary  promptly  paid  would  T  now  consent  to  stay.  This 
is  both  pleasant  and  painful.  Of  course  the  die  is  cast, 
nor  do  I  know  that  I  would  have  it  otherwise.  But  it  is 
a  characteristic  of  this  life  that  every  gain  is  bought  by 
a  loss.  .  .  .  T  find  it  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
do  what  you  suggest,  /.  p.,  prepare  sermons  now  to  use  at 
the  University.  I  must  just  go  on  preparing  and  preach- 
ing as  usual.  Then  T  will  use  at  the  University  what- 
ever I  have  that  will  do,  but  working  it  up  to  suit  the 
time,  etc." 

Lizzie  Hume,  referred  to  in  the  next  letter,  was  the  wife 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Hume,  Sr.,  of  Portsmouth,  and 
Mrs.  Taylor's  sister.  She  was  famous  for  her  beauty  and 
charm,  and  her  piety  was  of  no  less  high  degree.  Her  ill- 
ness was  a  shadow  on  the  Staunton  home  for  many  months. 
This  letter,  dated  March  24th,  1869,  is  to  ''Dear  Charlie": 

"...  We  greatly  fear  from  letters  to-night  that 
Lizzie  Hume,  who  has  been  long  sick,  will  not  recover. 
Tn  one  aspect,  very  sad,  but  she  is  a  bright  Christian  and 
heaven  is  better  than  earth." 

During  the  following  summer  Mrs.  Hume  died  at  her 
home  in  Portsmouth,  her  sister,  Mrs.  Taylor,  being  with 
her  to  the  end.     Then  in  a  verv  brief  time  little  Carter 


104  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Braxton,  Mrs.  Taylor's  infant  child,  also  passed  away  in 
Portsmouth,  and  was  buried  in  beautiful  HoUy^vood,  Rich- 
mond, beside  his  little  sister,  who  had  been  born  and  who 
died  in  the  dark  days  of  the  war. 

The  same  summer  Mr.  Taylor  made  a  trip  to  the 
^'Eastern  Shore,"  as  that  district  of  Virginia  lying  between 
the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  is  called, 
where  he  attended  a  district  association,  went  fishing  and 
visited  with  romantic  pleasure  the  birthplace  of  his  wife. 
The  letter  about  this  trip  is  dated  August  19th,  1869 : 

"...  We  left  the  steamer  at  Cheriton,  vulgarly 
called  Cherrystone — but  it  is  an  Indian  name,  as  are  most 
of  the  names  on  the  Eastern  Shore.  We  were  met  by 
brethren  and  taken  to  the  home  of  Brother  Wilkins.     They 

gave  me  a  specially  cordial  reception,  ^Mrs.  W having 

once  been  an  inmate  of  Susan's  father's  family.  She 
reminisced  of  her  saving  Sue  from  drowning,  when  the 
latter,  a  little  child,  fell  into  the  water  which  came  up 
to  the  garden  wall.  I  sat  do^^^l  to  a  good  dinner,  and 
was  soon  regaling  myself  on  a  gosling,  which  I  soon  found 
to  be  as  much  an  institution  on  "the  shore,'  as  even  fish 
and  other  water  gentry.  .  .  .  The  n(  xt  day  the  old 
man  and  I,  with  a  negro  and  John  More — the  typical  form 
of  the  rac(^  of  fisherman — ^went  out  and  spent  the  a.  m. 
fishing,  near  Cobb's  Island.  We  got  a  couple  of  bushel 
baskets  full.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hauling  up  several 
as  long  as  my  arm.  It  was  quite  exciting.  ...  I 
was  sick  all  the  time,  which  impaired,  though  it  did  not 
destroy,  my  enjoyment.  At  first,  a  general  cold,  making 
me  stupid.     It  then  attacked  my  speaking  organs,  and  I 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  I>.       105 

became  very  hoarse.  Under  these  circumstances  I  spoke 
on  missions,  and  almost  totally  lost  my  voice ;  nor  have  I 
since  regained  it,  or  indeed  gotten  decidedly  better.  This 
was,  and  is,  a  sore  trial,  as  preaching  or  much  talking, 
even  in  the  private  circle,  was  out  of  the  question.  A 
great  many  inquiries  were  made  for  you  by  parties  who 
still  affectionately  remember  you.  This  is  not  strange ; 
but  it  did  seem  a  little  so  to  be  grasped  by  the  hand  and 
asked  why  I  had  so  long  delayed  my  return  to  the  shore. 
In  vain  my  protestations  that  this  was  my  first  visit  there 
unless  in  a  preexistent  state.  Tt  would  not  avail.  The 
people  were  not  to  be  fooled  that  way,  and  they  would 
remind  me  of  the  meeting  at  Red  Bank,  etc.,  and  when 
I  would  utter  the  talismanic  words  'my  brother,'  a  curious 
expression  would  creep  over  their  featurc^s.  I  am  sure 
had  you  murdered  anybody  I   uiust  have  swung  for  it. 

.  .  The  last  night  1  spent  on  the  Eastern  Shore 
was  at  the  home  of  old  Mr.  Nottingham.  On  our  way  to 
take  the  boat,  he  took  me  to  the  ruins  of  the  fine  old 
mansion  where  Sue  was  born,  and  which  belonged  to  her 
father.  I  gazed  upon  it  and  walked  over  it  with  deep 
and  romantic  interest." 

In  a  letter  to  one  of  the  family,  September  16th,  1869, 
he  writes : 

"...  I  ran  over  to  the  University  yesterday,  and 
was  gratified  at  my  reception  by  the  professors,  and  at 
my  expected  home.  If  we  can  have  health  and  the  Lord's 
comforting  presence,  we  shall  be  very  happy  there." 

The  move  to  the  University  was  made  towards  the  end 
of  September,   1869.      Parting  with  the  good  people  of 


106  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Staunton  and  the  Staunton  Church  was  painful,  and  it 
was  with  deep  sorrow^  that  the  church  saw  their  dear 
pastor  leave.  The  reception  at  the  University  was  most 
cordial.  At  that  time,  among  the  members  of  the  faculty, 
were  John  B.  Minor,  John  Staige  Davis,  George  Fred- 
erick Holmes,  M.  Scheie  de  \"ere,  Francis  H.  Smith, 
Charles  S.  Venable,  Basil  L.  Gildersleeve,  William  H. 
McGuffey,  James  L.  Cabell,  William  E.  Peters,  and  John 
S.  Mallet,  and  the  faculty  and  Fniversity  was  not  too  large 
to  be  in  some  ways  like  a  large  family.  It  was  a  most 
delightful  place  to  live,  and  from  the  very  first  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Taylor  most  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  life  in  their 
new  home.  They  were  located  in  "the  parsonage,"  on 
the  edge  of  the  University  grounds.  At  that  time  the 
present  chapel  had  not  been  built,  nor  the  splendid  Madi- 
son Hall.  Keligious  services  were  held  in  the  chapel 
east  of  the  Rotunda,  while  the  only  quarters  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  had  was  a  small  room  on  East  Lawn,  a 
lecture  room  being  used  for  their  Sunday  afternoon  serv- 
ices. During  th(^  first  year  at  the  University  Mr.  Taylor's 
brother  Charles,  and  Robert  S.  Prichard,  a  step-son  of 
his  sister  Jane,  both  students,  were  members  of  the  par- 
sonage household. 

In  speaking  of  his  going  to  the  University  of  Virginia, 
and  events  just  before  this  move,  Mr.  Taylor,  in  his 
memorial  sermon,  in  Staunton,  said: 

"It  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that  the  perfect  peace  of 
church  and  pastor  should  not  one  day  be  threatened  and 
partly  interrupted.  A  trouble,  mercifully  neither  exten- 
sive nor  prolonged,  came  at  last  in  this  way:  Our  congre- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.  107 

gation  of  colored  brethren,  besides  occupying  a  gallery  at 
the  morning  and  night  services,  had  a  meeting  of  their 
own  every  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  lecture  room,  attended 
by  me  on  the  two  Sundays  of  the  month  when  I  did  not 
have  an  appointment  at  one  of  the  State  institutions  here. 
It  was  an  equal  pleasure  to  preach  to  our  colored  congre- 
gation, hear  their  characteristic  exhortations,  and  join  in 
their  tuneful  songs.  The  two  leaders — James  Payne  and 
an  older  brother — were  men  respected  in  the  community 
and  of  undoubted  piety.  A  new-comer,  who  joined  this 
church  after  the  close  of  the  war,  proposed  in  a  small 
church  meeting  that  the  colored  brethren  be  required  to 
pay  rent  for  the  use  of  the  lecture^  room  or  go  elsewhere, 
and  both  then  and  afterwards  the  proposal  was  urged  with 
appeals  to  race  and  class  prejudice.  This  I  opposed  with 
all  my  might,  and  thenceforth  I  had  reason  to  know  that 
T  had  an  adversary  in  the  church.  The  colored  brethren, 
who  probably  never  heard  of  what  had  passed,  were  only 
too  willing  to  leave  us,  which  they  promptly  did,  and  our 
church  had  another  daughter.  On  my  part  there  was  the 
greatest  need  of  self-control  and  patience,  and  by  God's 
mercy  there  was  no  rupture,  no  rift  within  the  lute  to 
make  the  music  mute.  But  it  was  a  time  of  great  trial 
to  me,  and  of  great  suffering  and  anxiety,  and  when  in 
1869  I  was  called  to  the  chaplaincy  of  my  Alma  Mater, 
the  University  of  Virginia,  it  was  a  relief,  especially  as 
I  left  a  united  and  devoted  church,  who  felt  that  the  honor 
offered  their  pastor  was  in  some  sense  their  own. 

"This  was  really  my  first  invitation  to  another  field. 
More  than    once  I  had  been    wanted  elsewhere,  but  in- 


108  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

fluential  brethren  said:  'Oh,  do  not  call  him;  he  is  in  his 
proper  place,  and  ought  not  to  leave  Staunton.'  This 
was  wrong  on  their  part,  though  Avell  meant  and  true  as  to 
fact.  Dr.  James  W.  Alexander  well  said:  'A  call  should 
never  be  crushed  in  the  egg.  It  is  a  tribute  and  an  en- 
couragement to  a  minister;  and  it  may  help  him  where 
he  is  for  the  people  to  know  he  is  wanted  elsewhere.'  Dr. 
Robert  Ryland  used  to  say  that  in  his  long  career  in  Rich- 
mond he  had  never  received  a  call  to  another  field.  The 
reason  in  his  case  was  patent :  he  could  not  be  spared  from 
the  college  and  the  great  work  in  the  African  Church. 
After  the  war  the  colored  people  came  into  politics  in  our 
Southland.  T  was  once  at  the  courthouse  when  whites 
and  blacks  addressed  the  mixed  crowd.  Ah,  what  is  that 
I  hear!  Two  of  the  colored  deacons  of  our  church  were 
speaking,  and  their  speeches  gave  me  a  pleasant  surprise. 
There  was  no  bitterness  in  their  hearts  or  on  their  lips. 
Their  words  were  those  of  respect  and  kindness.  They 
had  no  complaints  to  make  as  to  the  past.  As  to  their 
religious  privileges  they  said  that  they  and  others  had  had 
all  that  could  be  desired  in  our  church,  and  had  been 
lovingly  cared  for  by  its  pastor.  Brethren,  those  words 
were  music  in  my  ears  and  a  solace  to  my  heart. 

^^Brother  William  Harrison  Williams  succeeded  to  the 
pastorate  of  this  church.  He  was  a  fellow-townsman  of 
mine,  citizen  of  no  mean  city,  a  graduate  of  Richmond 
College  and  of  the  Seminary,  and  had  served  the  Fred- 
ericksburg Church  and  the  First  Church  in  Charleston, 
S.  C.  Gifted  and  trained  both  as  preacher  and  pastor, 
ho  did  here,  with  the  aid  of  his  excellent  wife,   a  good 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       109 

work,  the  Sunday  school  specially  increasing  in  numbers 
and  efficiency  and  the  gifts  of  new  brethren  being  brought 
into  exercise.  A  career  of  usefulness  was  before  him  in 
this  field,  where  he  might  have  grown,  as  he  did  else- 
where, in  grace,  in  power,  and  in  noble  service  even  to 
the  end.  But  in  this  almost  perfectly  pacific  church  he 
had  trouble,  and  chiefly  through  the  brother  already 
referred  to,  who  caused  it  elsewhere,  both  before  and 
after  his  relation  with  this  church;  nor  did  a  protracted 
meeting  held  by  the  noted  evangelist,  Mr.  Earle,  seem  to 
bring  peace.  T  almost  thought  the  contrary,  although 
there  was  a  <:aiii  in  the  membership." 

The  following  letter  is  written  from  the  T^niversity, 
under  date  of   September   2Gth,    1869: 

'^Yesterday,  though  half  sick  from  sleeplessness,  cold 
and  morphine,  I  'diked'  and  went  to  Charlottesville  on 
cars  to  attend  to  some  business.  .  .  .  Called  on  Drs. 
Maupin  and  McGuffey,  and  chatted  a  few  moments  with 
Professors  Smith,  Venable,  Mallet,  Holmes  and  Minor. 
I  had  purposed  going  to  hear  Long  to-day  .  .  .  but 
it  has  been  a  close,  rainy  day,  and  the  air,  though  warm, 
very  damp.  So  I  have  kept  very  close.  Susan  thinks 
it  a  good  thing  I  could  not  go  out.  I  read  the  Epistle  of 
St.  James  in  Greek,  George  accompanying  me  with  King 
James,  who  was  by  no  means  a  saint.  .  .  .  Aunt 
Aire  [the  colored  cook]  came  to-day,  and  we  have  a  load 
of  wood,  so  that  things  are  fairly  going;  though  not  so 
fairly  as  when  I  get  my  cow  and  some  butter.  I  say 
with  the  Frenchman,  'A  butterless  world  is  no  world  for 
me.'     ...     I   do   hope   soon  to  get  better.      For  two 


110  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

or  three  days  have  found  it  pleasant  to  lie  down  every 
moment  I  was  not  going  about.'' 

Thus  the  life  at  the  University  began.  The  circle  at 
the  parsonage  formed  a  delightful  partie  carree,  what  with 
study,  books,  conversation  and  work,  very  resourceful,  yet 
entering  thoroughly  into  the  social  and  intellectual  life  of 
the  college  and  of  Charlottesville.  Mr.  Taylor  did, 
probably,  during  his  University  life,  the  best  preaching 
of  his  life,  though  he  continued  to  suffer  much  from  weak- 
ness and  sickness. 

In  the  suinnier  uf  1870  Mr.  Taylor  and  his  brother 
Charles  decided  rather  suddenly  to  take  a  trip  to  Europe. 
In  a  financial  way  it  was  not  an  opportune  time  for  Mr. 
Taylor  to  take  such  a  trip,  but  he  did  not  know  when 
again  he  might  have  such  a  vacation,  and  then  his  thirst 
for  knowledge,  and  love  of  adventure,  no  less  perhaps 
than  a  hope  for  renewed  physical  vigor  by  a  complete 
change  of  scene,  helped  towards  the  decision  which  was 
reached.  When,  however,  the  time  came  for  Mr.  Taylor 
to  leave  the  University  to  meet  his  brother  in  New  York, 
he  was  sick,  quite  sick.  His  wonderful  spirit  won  the 
day.  He  started  with  pillows,  fearing  that  he  might  have 
to  turn  back  at  New  York.  As  was  the  case  so  very  often 
in  later  years,  the  travel  on  the  train  helped  him;  he 
did  not  turn  back  at  New  York.  J.  C.  Williams,  to  whom 
he  refers,  was  his  cousin,  a  prominent  broker  in  Richmond 
and  treasurer  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention.     He  wrote: 

''Dear  Charlie —  ...  I  now  hope  to  get  off  to- 
night,  and  that  you  will  meet  me  at  Gordonsville,  as  I 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYEOR,  D.  D.       Ill 

will  hardly  be  able  to  take  the  journey  to  'New  York  alone. 
In  case  I  go,  I  will  telegraph  you,  and  this  is  only  to  give 
more  definite  information.  In  case  of  our  missing  each 
other,  rendezvous  at  Sheldon's.  If  you  canH  come  to-night 
you  can  contrive  a  note  to  meet  me  at  Gordonsville. 
Please  ascertain  if  I  can  get  $300  or  $400  from  J.  C. 
Williams  on  same  terms.  I  haven't  yet  made  my  final 
arrangements  on  the  subject,  though  will  hear  from  F.  W. 
to-day,  if  he  is  at  home,  and  think,  too,  I  can  certainly 
get  it  in  Charlottesville.  I  have  been  flat  on  my  back  and 
able  to  attend  to  nothing." 

These  lines  will  show  both  the  suddenness  with  which 
this  trip  was  undertaken  and  the  indomitable  spirit  which 
did  not  give  up  the  trip  when  less  than  twenty-four  hours 
before  starting  time  he  was  sick  and  without  the  necessary 
money.  He  and  his  brother  sailed  on  the  ''City  of 
Brooklyn,"  of  the  Inman  Line.  Mr.  Taylor  proved  a 
most  excellent  sailor  and  keenly  enjoyed  the  motion  of  the 
vessel,  the  sea  air  and  scenes.  He  wrote  long  letters 
home,  enjoyed  his  Bible  reading  and  preached  perhaps 
more  than  once  to  the  steerage  people,  besides  having  much 
religious  conversation  with  individuals.  From  the  ''City 
of  Brooklyn,"  Atlantic  Ocean,  July  14th,  1870,  he  wrote 
to  his  wife: 

"...  How  you  would  laugh  could  you  see  me! 
I  am  on  the  upper,  fore-deck,  tucked  away  in  the  top  of 
a  ventilator,  which  just  affords  room  for  me  and  my  ink- 
stand and  is  very  comfortable,  except  that  my  legs  are 
dangling.  .  .  .  But  my  hand  I  must  not  raise  from 
the  sheet  or  away  it  would  go  to  demoralize  the  porpoises 


112  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

with  my  wit,  and  poor  Sue  would  be  that  much  the  loser. 
In  fifteen  minutes  after  we  started  I  was  re- 
minded of  the  dangers,  of  the  poor  sailors  at  least,  by  see- 
ing one  fall  perhaps  forty  or  fifty  feet  from  the  yardarm  to 
the  dex3k.  He  broke  his  arm  and  was  otherwise  terribly 
mangled.     The  only  wonder  was  that  he  was  not  killed." 

They  landed  at  Queenstown,  spent  a  day  visiting  the 
Lakes  of  Killarney,  and  then,  hurrying  on,  reached  Lon- 
don late  Saturday  night.  The  first  thing  Mr.  Taylor  did 
in  London  was  to  find  his  way  to  Spurgeon's  Tabernacle, 
and  the  first  words  he  heard  Spurgeon  speak,  in  his  open- 
ing })rayer,  ran  somewhat  thus  :  "O  Lord,  we  have  been 
tossed  about  all  the  week  on  the  ocean  of  care  and  worry ; 
may  we  this  day  rest  in  Thee !" 

Their  plan,  when  leaving  home,  was  to  visit  Germany. 
The  first  news,  however,  upon  landing  was  that  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War  had  broken  out.  After  some  sight-seeing  in 
England  they  set  out  for  the  continent,  substituting  France 
and  Italy  for  Germany.  They  were  in  Paris  at  a  most 
exciting  time  and  had  several  thrilling  adventures.  One 
day  Mr.  Taylor  was  on  the  top  of  an  omnibus,  when  the 
angry  crowd  came  down  the  boulevard  with  a  German 
whom  they  had  caught.  The  traffic  on  the  street  stood 
still.  The  people  on  the  omnibuses  stood  up  and  shouted. 
Mr.  Taylor  was  afraid  to  sit  still,  or  to  stand  up  and 
shout.  His  light  complexion  and  reddish  beard,  and  his 
inability  to  speak  French,  increased  his  danger.  As  soon 
and  as  quickly  as  he  could  he  slipped  down  from  the  top 
of  the  'bus. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       113 

From  Berne,  August  8th,  1870,  he  wrote  to  his  wife : 
''My  last  was  a  hurried  note  written  at  my  banker's  in 
Paris.  ...  I  was  quite  heartsick  at  getting  no  letter 
and  at  the  idea  of  starting  on  a  three  weeks'  tour  during 
which  I  could  not  possibly  hear  from  you.  .  .  .  As  I 
feared,  our  delay  prevented  our  leaving  and  spending  the 
night  at  Fontainebleau.  .  .  .  We  decided,  however, 
to  move  to  a  hotel  near  our  station,  as  the  train  left  early. 
This  we  did  against  the  protest  of  host,  who  insisted  there 
were  no  hotels  in  that  locality.  At  this  I  laughed  in  my 
sleeve.  .  .  .  He  also  insisted  on  calling  a  cab  for  us, 
saying  we  could  not  go  on  a  'bus  with  our  luggage. 
.  .  .  Here  again  I  knew  better,  and  we  soon  were  for 
three  or  four  sous  each  safely  deposited  at  our  destination. 
Rejecting  larger  and  more  showy  houses,  we  put  up  at  a 
small  but  neat  house  kept  by  a  Swiss.  It  bore,  however,  the 
lofty  name  Hotel  de  1'  Universe.  .  .  .  Early  the  next 
morning  we  were  u]»  and  got  a  bowl  of  delicious  coffee,  then 
repaired  to  the  de])()t,  a  few  steps  oif,  and  were  soon 
rapidly  gliding  through  an  interesting  country.  All  the 
time  my  eyes  were  drinking  in  the  new  and  beautiful  and 
ever  diversified  scenery.  We  breakfasted  and  dined  on 
the  train  from  bread  and  cheese  and  sardin(\s,  supple- 
mented by  fruit,  which  is  abundant  and  cheap.  Nearly 
all  the  way  we  had  an  entire  compartment  to  ourselves. 
A  little  after  dark  we  broke  our  journey,  having 
travelled  over  300  miles,  at  Pontarlier,  the  frontier  town 
between  France  and  Switzerland.  Here  our  passports 
were  examined  and  reexamined  by  the  French  officials. 
Tt  was  quite  funny.     After  examining  them  at  the  station. 


114  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

one  of  them  followed  us  to  the  hotel  and  repeated  the 
process.  As  he  did  so  I  pointed  to  the  spread  eagle  on 
mine  and  in  pantomime  told  him  I  was  under  its  wings 
and  he  dare  not  touch  me ;  whereat  he  was  convulsed,  and 
thinks  I  to  myself,  the  eagle  has  pecked  me  long  enough, 
she  must  protect  me  now.  .  .  .  Our  recollections  of 
Pontarlier  are  not  flattering.  We  had  laid  over  there  in 
order  to  see  the  next  few  miles  by  daylight.  Eichly  were 
we  repaid.  ...  At  four  o'clock  we  took  the  train 
and  came  to  this  place,  making  this  our  stopping  place  for 
Sunday.  ...  I  spent  a  peaceful,  happy  and  I  trust 
])rofitable  Sabbath.  We  went  to  the  cathedral,  and  to  our 
joy  found  it  Protestant;  the  singing,  to  the  fine  organ, 
congregational  and  devout;  the  preacher  earnest,  though 
we  could  not  tell  what  he  said.  Then  a  stroll.  Then  in 
my  pleasant  room  a  season  of  religious  service.  Then 
heard  a  sermon  at  the  English  service ;  another  stroll ; 
dinner,  table  d'hote,  at  five;  another  stroll  and  reading 
till  bedtime.  .  .  .  The  air  is  thick  with  the  rumors 
of  the  war,  and  people  excited." 

On  August  12th,  1870,  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  describing 
among  other  things  his  trip  across  the  Alps : 

"  .  .  .  Yesterday  was  a  day  long  to  be  remembered 
by  me.  We  rose  at  four  and  were  on  the  diligence  till  ten 
at  night;  much  of  the  time  on  top,  nothing  to  obstruct 
our  view  of  the  grand  and  lovely  scenery.  Up,  up  we 
went,  winding  round  and  round,  now  on  galleries  built 
out  from  the  mountain  side,  now  over  stone  bridges,  now 
through  tunnels  cut  through  the  solid  rock,  till,  after  six 
hours'  hard  climbing,  the  summit  was  reached,  vegetation 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       115 

and  the  goats  and  cattle  being  left  below,  while  near  us, 
but  still  towering  above,  was  the  snow  and  ice  which  never 
melt  or  disappear.  The  cold  became  quite  intense,  but  I 
managed  with  my  good  wrapijings  to  keep  comfortable. 
We  were  drawn  most  of  the  time  by  seven  horses.  There 
are  no  reins  to  the  leaders,  they  being  driven  by  the  voice 
and  a  long  whip.  Such  cracking  of  the  whip  I  never 
heard.  It  was  like  pistol  cracks  and  unintermitting. 
Every  few  miles  was  a  'Refuge'  and  at  shorter  intervals 
were  crucifixes  and  figures,  large  or  smaller,  of  Christ  on 
the  cross.  Indeed  these  had  been  quite  numerous  after 
we  passed  St.  Maurice,  the  line  between  Protestant  and 
Catholic  Switzerland." 

The  rest  of  this  drive,  when  he  had  his  first  view  of 
Italy,  is  thus  described  by  Dr.  Taylor  in  his  "Italy  and 
the  Italians'^ : 

''It  was  in  the  summer  of  1870  that  I  first  saw  Italy. 
I  was  comparatively  ignorant  of  her  history  and  treasures, 
but  with  a  mind  (>})en  to  impressions.  My  entrance  was 
over  the  Simplon  on  the  top  of  a  diligence,  and  on  those 
Alpine  heights,  despite  abundant  wi'aps,  I  suffered  from 
the  intense  cold  :  but  one  after  another  of  these  was  thrown 
off  as  we  swiftly  descended,  and  all  were  thrown  off  when 
Italy  was  reached,  although  'the  shades  of  night  were 
falling  fast.'  Into  the  court  of  a  spreading  inn  we  sudden- 
ly dashed,  and  while  the  horses  were  changed,  I  sallied 
forth  to  use  in  the  purchase  of  fruit  the  few  Italian  words 
acquired  during  the  day.  I  may  say  in  passing  that  I  was 
only  a  summer  tourist  and  had  no  more  idea  of  spending 
a  quarter  of  a  century  in  Italy  than  I  now  have  of  a  flight 


116  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

to  the  moon.  AVith  a  fresh  team  we  were  soon  bowling 
over  a  road  as  smooth  and  level  as  a  floor  to  the  rhythmical 
beat  of  the  horses'  hoofs  and  the  music  of  their  bells. 
On  one  side  lay  the  island-studded  Lake  Maggiore  and 
on  the  other  rose  vine-clad  terraces  crowned  with  many 
a  villa,  while  the  moon,  riding  high  in  the  heavens,  shed 
a  mystical  glory  on  the  novel  and  lovely  scene ;  I  seemed 
to  be  in  fairyland,  and  the  feeling  was  only  increased 
when  a  few  hours  later  I  was  supping  at  Arona  in  an 
arbor  illuminated  by  the  moon  and  by  Chinese  lanterns 
hung  amid  the  foliage  of  the  trees." 

The  travellers  went  as  far  south  as  Rome  and  then 
turned  their  faces  towards  England  and  home.  From 
Paris  Mr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  wife  on  August  28th,  from 
the  little  Hotel  de  V  Universe  •• 

"...  Our  heart  was  made  glad  by  receiving 
your  letter  of  July  81st.     .     .     .     After  devouring  our 

letters   C and    I    parted.     .     .     .     About    10.30    at 

night  I  reached  the  Place  de  la  Bastille,  near  which  is 
this  hotel,  and  struck  out  boldly  for  it.  But,  lo  and 
behold !  I  could  not  find  it.  I  spent  an  hour  in  looking 
for  it  and  then  had  to  give  it  up,  though  I  knew  1  must 
be  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  it.  I  took  an  omnibus 
and  went  three  miles  or  so  to  an  entirely  different  part 
of  the  city  to  our  former  hotel,  and  spent  the  night.  The 
next  morning  as  I  was  sitting  down  to  breakfast  in  walked 
Charlie,  who,  as  I  had  expected,  had  felt  pretty  uneasy 
about  me,  thinking  of  La  Morgue,  arrests,  etc." 

The  next  day  (August  29th,  1870),  in  a  letter  to  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Fannie  Ficklin,  he  wrote: 


REV.  GEORGE  BOAR  DM  AN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       117 

''  .  .  .  Paris  is  in  great  excitement.  Many  think 
the  Prussians  will  soon  be  here.  All  strangers  are  hurry- 
ing off,  fearing  the  railroads  will  be  cut,  even  if  the 
Prussians  do  not  get  here.  We  see  a  great  many  people 
going  with  furniture,  etc.,  evidently  gotten  up  in  haste. 
It  reminds  me  so  much  of  Confederate  times." 

Before  sailing  Mr.  Taylor,  leaving  his  brother,  made  a 
little  journey  to  Nottingham,  where  he  found  a  number 
of  his  kin  people,  and  to  the  village  of  Barton-on-Humber, 
his  father's  birth})lace.  Two  brief  letters  tell  something 
of  this  trip: 

^'Nottingham,  Tuesday,  <).:>()  p.  m. — Dear  Charles:  I 
had  a  pleasant  trip  here ;  put  up  at  a  good  hotel  and  ke])t 
close  during  the  rain  last  evening.  This  morning  sallied 
forth  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  in  answer  to  prayer, 
found,  after  diligent  search,  all  our  relations.  I  dined 
and  shall  spend  to-night  at  the  house  of  father's  first 
cousin,  George  Gascoyne  Taylor.  1  go  to-morrow  a.  m., 
eight  o'clock,  to  Barton.  Shall  ])robably  hear  from  you 
before  I  leave  here,  as  1  understand  the  Liverpool  mail 
is  open  at  seven  a.  m.  If  necessary  and  possible,  I  shall 
leave  Barton  to-morrow  evening.  I  have  been  tramping 
about  in  the  wet  and  am  not  well,  but  hope,  with  pru- 
dence, by  the  Divine  mercy,  to  rejoin  you  in  good  health. 
I  trust  you  have  been  favored  and  guided  in  your  decisions 

and  arrangements.     ...     Be  very  careful  in  L . 

It  is  said  to  be  a  bad  place.  ...  I  write  this  on  the 
Bible  of  our  great-grandfather,  George  Taylor.  Your 
loving  brother,  G .     Particulars  when  we  meet.     Be 


118  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

economical.      I  will  not  have   over   four   or   five   pounds 
when  I  reach  L ." 

The  next  day  he  wrote  as  follows : 

*'  'Sheaf  and  Stack/  Barton-on-Humber,  Lincolnshire, 
September  Yth,  7  p.  m.,  1870. — Dear  Charlie :  Your  kind 
and  eminently  satisfactory  letter  was  received  by  me  this 
morning  as  I  proceeded  to  the  station.  I  left  Nottingham 
at  eight,  accompanied  by  my  cousin.  We  stayed  three 
hours  at  Lincoln,  visiting  the  magnificent  cathedral, 
attending  choral  service,  walking  by  the  castle  and  over 
the  city  and  .  .  .  talking,  .  .  .  mainly  of  Aus- 
tralia, where  he  has  been  for  years.  We  then  came  hither, 
arriving  about  four  o'clock.  He  showed  me  the  grave  of 
our  great-aunt  and  great-grandmother  and  the  house  where 
our  great-grandparents  lived  and  where  probably  father 
was  bom ;  also  the  house  where  grandfather  served  his 
time  and  worked  at  his  trade.  We  then  got  a  good  dinner 
and  he  left.  It  has  been  raining  heavily  since,  keeping 
me  indoors.  T  have  been  suffering  with  cold.  . 
I  am  not  uneasy,  but  feel  the  need  of  great  prudence.  I 
have  on  now  a  pair  of  my  host's  slippers.  I  am  stopping 
at  the  Wheat  Stack — a  wee  inn,  but  very  comfortable  and 
homelike.  I  will  have  a  deal  to  tell  you  when  we  meet, 
as  you  will  me.  .  .  .  I  go  to  Hull  to-morrow,  then 
to  some  towns — don't  know  yet  which.  ..."  Then 
in  pencil  these  words  are  added:  '^September  8th,  8.30 
A.  M. — I  write  from  the  grave  of  our  great-grandmother, 
in  nearly  the  oldest  churchyard  in  England.  I  am  well ; 
have  your  second  letter.  My  plan  now  is  to  spend  the 
night  at  Sheffield,  spend  a  few  hours  in  Manchester  to- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  L).       119 

morrow  and  reach  L cither  to-morrow  night  or  Sat- 
urday A.  M.  God  bless  you.  .  .  .  Am  much  pleased 
with  your  arrangements." 

During  Mr.  Taylor's  absence  his  wife  had  with  her 
her  sisters  Mrs.  Ficklin  and  Mrs.  Slaughter,  and  their 
children.  A  trip  to  Europe^  then  being  a  rarer  event  than 
it  is  to-day,  no  wonder  that  Mr.  Taylor's  return  was  a 
great  occasion  and  that  the  children  were  delighted  be- 
yond words  at  the  ShclHeld  knives,  Paris  trinkets  and 
many  interesting  pictures  which  the  traveller  distributed 
with  liberal  hand.  Better  far,  however,  even  in  the  opin- 
ion of  the  children,  were  the  accounts  of  all  the  fine  things 
he  had  seen  beyond  the  sea. 

Soon  the  session  began,  and  on  October  13th,  1870,  Mr. 
Taylor  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles : 

'^  .  .  .  I  have  spent  this  a.  m.  mostly  walking  u]) 
the  O.  and  A.  railroad,  getting  up  a  sermon  on  Ps.  xxv :  7 
for  Sunday  night.  Have  just  finished  a  letter  to  J.  B.  T. 
Jr. ;    he  is  coming  up  here  with  his  little  cripple  boy,  for 

Dr.  C to  operate  on.     .     .     .     The  death  of  General 

Lee  deeply  affects  me.  His  character  is  a  reproof  and  1 
stand  awed  and  subdued.  I  mean  to  preach  (probably 
from  II  Sam.  iii:  38)  in  reference  to  the  event.  I  am 
much  more  free  from  pain  and  annoyance  than  when  I 
wrote,  and  have  besides  put  myself  regularly  under  Dr. 
D .     Morning  prayers  finely  attended." 

The  next  letter  is  headed  ''Carissime  Frater,"  under 
date  of  October  24th: 

''  .  .  .  Mrs.  Slaughter  left  this  a.  m.  Her 
presence   has   been   like   sunlight — like   an    angel's   visit. 


120  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

She  combines  such  matronly  dignity  with  youthful 
vivacity — is  so  pious,  amiable,  sympathetic,  appreciative. 
Her  children,  too,  are  very  interesting.  .  .  .  To-day 
I  was  invited  to  address  the  Methodist  Sunday  school  at 
some  early  day,  and  promised  to  do  so." 

In  the  next  letter  the  Barksdale  alluded  to  is  now  Judge 
W.  R.  Barksdale,  of  Halifax  County,  Virginia.  It  bears 
date  of  IS^ovember  27th: 

"Dear  Charles —  .  .  .  You  can't  imagine  how 
quietly  w^e  are  living,  we  four,  with  but  one  servant,  and 
just  now  George  is  in  Richmond.  Sue  or  I  make  two 
fires  every  morning  Ix'fore  breakfast.  My  old  study  is 
occupied  by  a  man  and  his  wife^  the  former  salving  my 
wood,  which  I  have  been  doing.  .  .  .  While  at  Hali- 
fax I  met  Barksdale,  who  seemed  as  glad  to  see  me  as 
I  was  to  see  hiia.  .  .  .  I  am  delighted  to  hear  that 
he  has  taken  a  bold  and  decided  jxtsitioii  as  a  Christian 
and  a  Baptist;  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school,  and 
in  short  becoming  the  man  of  the  little  Baptist  interest 
there.     .     .     .     C.    Read    is   worth   his   weight   in   gold. 

.  .  The  event  of  last  week  was  a  lecture  before  the 
Christian  Association  by  Dr.  Armstrong  on  'Dis- 
coveries in  the  Great  Pyramid.'  He  stayed  with  us,  and 
was  very  agreeable.  We  breakfasted  at  Colonel  Ven- 
able's.  The  lecture  was  a  success.  One-  hour  and  twenty 
minutes  ex  tempore  and  using  a  diagram  with  my  (your) 
cane.  ...  I  should  be  through  my  first  round  of 
visits  and  advanced  in  my  studies  and  writing,  but  for 
constant  interruption,  mainly  by  sickness.  I  have  lately 
had   a   serious    throat   trouble.       Could   not   preach    last 


REV.    GEOKiiE    BOARDMAN    TAYLOR,    T).    D.  121 

Sunday ;  had  to  get  two  Methodist  brethren,  one  of  whom 
preached  nearly  an  hour  and  a  half.  For  some  days 
almost  lost  my  voice  and  was  invalid  generally.  To-day 
I  have  preached  twice,  but  my  throat  is  weak  and  no 
power  in  my  voice.  .  .  .  Having  been  away  and 
being  so  unwell,  I  sent  George  down  to  the  stockholders' 
meeting.'' 

The  next  letter,  addressed  to  his  father  and  mother, 
refers  to  the  birth  of  a  son  and  to  other  matters  in  the 
life  of  the  family.     Tt  is  dated  December  25th,  1870: 

''  .  .  .  The  baby  (still  nameless),  is — I  say  it 
with  gratitude,  not  pride — unusually  well  and  good  and 
quiet.  .  .  .  Almost  each  day  some  delicacy  has  come 
for  Susan  from  our  neighbors  ;  generally,  tou,  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  give  us  all  a  taste,  if  not  a  feast. 
The  Venabks  and*  Davises  have  sent  the  children  very 
pretty  presents.  Mary  has  said  again  and  again:  'Oh,  I 
am  so  happy !'  ^N'ow,  ordinarily  when  people  stop  to 
talk  about  their  feelings,  they  are  not  so  very  intense, 
but  in  this  case  the  mouth  s])oke  out  of  the  abundance  of 
the  heart.  T  omitted  in  my  meteorological  introduction 
to  say  that  the  cold  has  deprived  us  of  gas  and,  we  fear, 
frozen  our  apples.  The  last  is  a  misfortune,  as  we  have 
several  barrels  and  well  nigh  live  on  them.  .  .  .  And 
now  I  will  take  another  half  sheet  mainly  for  the  sake 
of  speaking  of  father's  expected  visit.  I  need  not  say  it 
will  not  be  in  any  sense  an  intrusion.  On  the  contrary, 
it  will  be  peculiarly  pleasant,  as  well  as  perfectly  con- 
venient, to  have  him,  and  we  would  not  have  him  not 
come  for  anything.     Susan  had  repeatedly  spoken  of  his 


122  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

coming,  and  is  delighted  at  the  prospect,  thinking  she 
may  even  see  more  of  him  and  enjoy  his  company  more 
from  being  confined  to  her  room.'' 

Mr.  Taylor's  brother  Charles  was  now  Professor  of 
Latin  at  Wake  Forest  College,  North  Carolina.  In  a 
letter  to  him  he  says: 

''     .     .     .     Dr.  A said  while  in  prison  he  read  the 

whole  Bible  through  every  twenty  days.  .  .  .  The 
Publishing  Society  offers  to  pay  me  $250  for  a  book  on 
England,  bringing  out  religious  and  Baptist  items. 
.  .  .  Susan  is  to  me  better  and  sweeter  every  day.  I 
often  tremble  at  the  thought  of  losing  her,  but  though  we 
live  in  a  world  of  death,  it  is  not  well  morbidly  to  dwell 
on  what  may  come.  ...  I  am  preaching  almost 
entirely  ex  tempore,  though  trying  to  keep  a  record  of 
what  I  say,  so  as  to  be  able  to  reproduce  it.  But  I  can't 
look  the  people  in  their  eyes.     ^Yhat  shall  I  doP^ 

On  the  first  Sunday  in  each  month  many  of  the  Univer- 
sity people  go  to  Charlottesville,  a  mile  away,  to  attend 
their  several  churches,  and  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper ; 
this  always  made  the  chapel  congregation  smaller  on  these 
Sundays.  On  January  1st,  1871,  Mr.  Taylor,  writing  to 
his  brother  Charles,  alludes  to  Rev.  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge, 
for  more  than  half  a  century  the  pastor  of  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church,  Richmond,  Va.,  and  a  most  brilliant 
preacher : 

"...  The  Christmas  has  passed  quietly.  We 
thought  of  you.  .  ,  .  George  dined  one  day  at  Mr. 
J 's.     .     .     .     He    also   enjoyed   the   snow   and   ice. 


REV,  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       12o 

Even  I  did  not  disdain  to  get  in  a  bobsled  and  be  sent 
over  the  big  pond,  a  la  telegraph,  by  a  fine  skater.  .  .  . 
I  preached  this  a.  m.  a  new  sermon,  written  out,  from 
Matt.  XX :  28.  I  did  not  expect  any  congregation,  the 
day  being  so  exquisite,  and  communion  in  town  too;  but 
we  had  eight  professors  and  a  sprinkling  of  students  and 
others.  To-night  I  preached  from  'Go  to,  ye  that  say,'  etc. 
— an  old  sermon  revamped.  The  chapel  unusually 
crowded,  but  the  air  was  better  than  usual,  and  hence  I 
am  not  so  utterly  used  up  as  I  am  sometimes.  ...  I 
succeeded  in  inducing  the  proctor  to  get  from  Baltimore 
a  ventilator  for  the  chapel.  I  have  just  written  to  Dr. 
Hoge  to  come  here  and  ])reach  a  week.  .  .  .  Pray 
for  us.  .  .  .  When  you  come  you  can  see  my  fine 
boy.  .  .  .  Susan  is,  at  this  moment  and  much  of  her 
time,  spending  strength  and  fueling  anxiety  as  only  a 
mother  ever  does  in  this  world.  Pray  for  her  and  the 
child." 

Not  imcommonly  Mr.  Taylor,  acting  upon  a  suggestion 
of  his  brother  Charles,  wrote  a  letter  which  went  to  his 
brother  James,  then  pastor  at  Culpep^T  Court  House,  and 
next  to  his  parents  and  sisters  in  Richmond,  and  finally  to 
his  brother  Charles  at  Wake  Forest,  J^orth  Carolina. 
The  following  was  such  a  ''circular"  letter.  The  A.  E.  D. 
alluded  to  is  Rev.  A.  E.  Dickinson,  for  many  years  editor 
of  the  Religious  Herald.  It  bears  date  of  January  30th, 
1871: 

"...  After  our  glorious  weather,  we  have  been 
having  some  rather  trying  to  delicate  folks.  .  .  .  But 
George  has    enjoyed   the   sliding    and   it   has   made    the 


124  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

students  young  again,  to  the  great  damage  of  split-bottoms. 

.     .     .     Last  week  I  read  Mansil's  Timits  of  Keligious 

Thought.'     It  is  a  noble  book  and  did  nie  good. 

T   am   reading  for  recreation   'Tales  of  the  Border' — ten 

volumes — from  library.      ...     I  wish  A.  E.  D.  would 

come  and   give   me  a   week's   preaching,   beginning  on   a 

Sabbath.'^ 

The  next  h  tter,  dntcd  F('l)niai'v  Sth,  is  also  to  his 
brother  Chai'les : 

"...  I  have  been  very  good-for-nothing,  suffer- 
ing with  weakness,  indigestion,  etc.,  and  Dr.  D has 

prescribed  ale  for  Sue  and  myself,  and  T  have  sent  to 
Ivichiiiond  for  a  cask.  Yesterday  morning  Harrison 
Williams  came  and  remained  until  to-day.  .  .  .  Last 
night  he  and  T  went  to  Dr.  McGuifey's  to  attend  a  sort  of 
theological  club  which  meets  there  once  a  week.  I  en- 
joyed it  very  much  and  got  some  material  for  sermons, 
1  ihiiik.  1  talked  a  goftd  deal  and  the  young  men  insisted 
T  had  added  much  to  the  occasion,  and  urged  me  to  attend, 
which  T  think  I  will  do.  .  .  .  The  memory  of  my 
summer  is  a  constant  delight.  T  shall  certainly  go  again, 
if  the  Lord  ope  ns  the  way." 

The  next  letter  is  of  F(^bniary  19th,  eight  pages  of 
letter-size  paper,  and  to  "Dear  Charles" : 

"...  Coming  from  Halifax,  I  had  a  talk  with 
Daniel  Witt.  He  said  if  he  were  not  a  Christian  then 
he  did  not  think  he  ever  would  be.  1  have  something 
of  the  same  feeling.  I  am  full  of  sin  and  weakness  and 
blindness ;  still  if  I  have  not  looked  to  Jesus,  I  don't 
see  how  T  ever  can  or  shall.     But  what  progress  one  might 


REV.    GEORGE     BOARDMAN     TAYIA)R,    D.     D.  125 

make  were  he  faithful  aiul  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit!  The  idea  has  forcibly  occurred  to  me  this  week, 
as  if  it  were  a  brand-new  thing,  that  the  only  way  to 
resist  temptation,  even  the  grossest,  is  to  be  in  a  high 
spiritual  state.  We  generally  run  the  mill  with  too  low 
a  head  of  water.  Yet  we  are  straitened  in  ourselves,  for 
we  may  draw  from  a  fountain  that  is  infinite  and  peren- 
nial. .  .  .  Next  Sunday  John  William  Jones  de- 
livers here  his  lecture  on  'Religion  in  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.'  .  .  .  By  the  way,  T  have  been  intending 
to  tell  you  that  when  I  preached  on  ^Bring  me  up  Samuel' 
I  went  to  Dr.  Cabell's  to  borrow  a  sermon  of  Dr.  J.  W. 
Alexander's  on  the  same  words.      They  had   mislaid   the 

printed  copy,  but  ^Irs.  C had  the  original  MS.  and 

lent  it  to  inc.  Vou  can't  think  with  what  affectionate 
interest  I  regard  it.  'No  man  that  T  ever  saw  came  nearer 
to  my  heart  than  he.  .  .  .  T  believe  Sue  has  never 
wavered  (this  for  J.  B.  T.  Jr.,  and  mother)  as  to  calling 
our  boy  James,  but  what  else,  has  been  the  question.  I 
think  lately  'Spotswood'  has  been  in  the  ascendency. 
.  .  .  Sue  reminded  me  of  Mr.  Earle  yesterday,  say- 
ing each  day  was  happier  to  her  than  any  preceding.  Our 
babe  is  a  wellspring  of  joy  in  the  house.  We  think  as 
much  of  him  as  if  he  were  not  No.  7.  By  the  way,  did 
you  see  that  exquisite  little  piece  in  the  Watchman  and 
Reflector  on  ^No.  10'  ?  I  sent  it  to  Professor  Smith  when 
his  tenth  came,  but  he  impudently  suggested  to  me  that 
I  keep  a  copy.  I  am  so  glad  you  have  Dr.  Poindexter 
with  you.  Next  to  father,  he  is  more  like  a  father  to  me 
than  anybodv  in  the  world." 


126  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

The  next  letter  is  to  his  father,  imder  date  of  February 
22iid: 

"I  have  been  unanimously  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
Staunton  Church.  .  .  .  They  propose  to  pay  $1,200 
salary  and  more,  if  more  can  be  raised,  besides  the  $100 
for  preaching  at  the  Institution.  Such  men  as  Peyton, 
the  Hoges,  Summerson,  etc.,  are  very  enthusiastic.  Hart 
also  is  represented  to  have  spoken  most  warmly  in  favor 
of  me  and  of  my  coming.  ...  So  it  is  also  said  that 
persons  of  other  churches  and  of  no  church  have  expressed 
strong  desire  for  my  return,  and  !^(»ine  have  subscribed, 
promising  to  pay  the  amount  as  long  as  T  stay.  Of  course 
all  this  is  very  gratifying  and  I  d<»  feel  thankful  to  Him 
who  has  brought  it  to  pass.  The  action  of  the  church  was 
without  any  idea  whatever  as  to  what  my  decision  might 
be.  Mingled  with  the  pleasure  I  naturally  feel  at  such 
an  expression  from  the  people  whom  I  served  so  long,  is 
a  painful  sense  of  the  grave  responsibility  involved  in 
coming  to  a  decision.  The  question  is  complicated  by  the 
fact  that,  while  no  action  has  yet  been  taken,  I  am  posi- 
tively assured  that  if  I  will  sanction,  the  Lexington 
Church  will  call  me  and  that  I  will  be  appointed  adjunct 
professor  in  "Washington  and  Lee  University,  the  church 
and  college  respectively  assenting  to  my  sustaining  the 
double  relation.  In  the  absence  of  any  other  intimation 
of  Providence,  I  suppose  that  to  one  or  the  other  of  these 
positions  I  might  go.     But  which  ?" 

Referring  to  some  articles  on  the  trip  to  Europe  by 
his  brother  Charles,  in  the  Religious  Herald,  Mr.  Taylor 
writes  to  him: 


REV.    GEORGE    BOARDMAN    TAYT.OR,    D.    D.  127 

*'  .  .  .  Your  minute  description  of  that  day  at 
Killamey  (which  I  couldn't  have  written  to  save  my  life) 
impresses  me  with  the  value  of  keeping  a  diary  in  travel- 
ling, which  you  were  then  doing  and  I  was  not,  and  also 
makes  me  realize  what  my  state  was.  The  first  week 
after  I  landed  seems  a  dark  dream  of  physical  pain, 
vague  apprehension  and  utter  depression,  relieved  with 
bright  gleams  from  the  novelty  and  beauty  surrounding 
me  and  from  your  kind  sympathy.  If  you  ever  failed 
at  all  it  was  only  because  one  person  never  knows  or  can 
know  precisely  how  another  feels.  I  was  conscious  of 
trying  your  patience  often  by  my  unfortunate  peculiarities 
which  were  intensified  by  physical  weakness  and  pain. 
But  I  suppose  it  is  always  the  case  that  the  nearest  and 
most  loving  friends  need  to  bear  with  each  other,  and  T 
believe  we  both  have  been  and  will  ever  be  glad  to  do 
that.  But  of  my  trip  as  a  whole  my  recollections  are 
exquisitely  pleasant.  Some  things  even  not  perfectly 
agreeable  at  the  time  are  now  only  bright  and  pleasant 
when  remembered.  T  can  truly  say  the  memory  of  much 
that  was  seen  and  experienced  is  a  perpetual  joy,  a  never- 
failing  solace  and  recreation.  The  best  evidence  of  this 
is  that  I  more  than  ever  desire  to  go  again  and  fully 
purpose  it,  if  the  way  ever  opens.  .  .  .  But  if  we 
don't  travel  much  more  here  it  is  refreshing  to  think  of 
a  boundless  universe  and  an  eternity  to  gratify  our  love 
of  adventure,  motion,  novelty,  etc.  I  am  convinced  that 
we  often  make  heaven  too  bald  a  thing,  just  as  philosophy 
exalting  God  makes  him  almost  a  nonentity.     .     .     .     T 


128  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

M'alk  a  great  deal.     My  favorite  walk  is  up  the  O.  aud  A. 
railroad." 

In  a  letter  on  March  12th,  1871,  he  writes  to  his 
brother  James: 

Nothing  but  a  sense  of  duty  brought  me 
home,  but  the  result  proved  my  conviction  was  right.  I 
found  a  very  ill  student,  whom  1  ha\e  been  visiting  twice 
daily.  It  was  feared  he  would  not  live,  and  his  father, 
mother  and  sisters  have  been  with  him.  It  is  now  hoped 
he  will  recover.  I  got  several  ])oints  for  my  sermon  from 
his  sick-bed.  ...  I  have  appointed  prayer-meetings 
at  7. '30  A.  M.,  and  urged  the  entire  congregation  to  attend. 
I  think  I  see  some  tokens  for  good,  and  humbly  trust 
we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  blessing.  Pray  for  us.  The  morn- 
ing meeting  I  owe  in  part,  possibly  entirely,  to  you.  Al- 
ways tell  me  what  you  think.  .  .  .  You  have  no  idea 
how  utterly  weak  and  good-for-nothing  I  w^as  a  few  weeks 
ago.  Your  gardening  has  quite  stirred  me  up  to  begin. 
We  have  turnip  salad  daily,  either  from  our  garden  or 
T)r.  Davis's,  and  salsify  in  abundance  from  the  former. 
These,  with  jole  and  nice  corn  beef,  constitute  the  chief 
of  our  diet.  We  have  not  yet  reached  the  luxury  of  fish. 
I  should  not  omit  that  in  my  absence  Sue  received  a 
present  of  $50  from  Carter." 

The  next  letter,  bearing  date  of  March  17th,  1871, 
shows  the  esteem  felt  in  Virginia  by  the  white  people 
for  colored  people,  who  were  really  Avorthy.  Laura  Camp- 
bell, referred  to  in  this  letter,  was  a  colored  woman,  and 
a  member  of  Mr.  Taylor's  church.     Her  husband  was   a 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       129 

barber  in  Staunton  for  years,  and  they  were  both  greatly 
respected : 

"My  dear  Mother —     .     .     .     We  have  had  preaching 
each  night  and  a  prayer-meeting  at  7.30  a.  m.,  both  well 

attended  by  students  and  the  families.     Brother  W 

has  preached  acceptably,  and  with  considerable  pathos. 
There  are  a  few  cases  of  avowed  seriousness  and 
many  are  thoughtful.  ,  .  .  We  all  dined  one  day  at 
Dr.  Davis's.  .  .  .  Yesterday,  sunniKmed  by  telegraph, 
I  went  over  to  Staunton  to  preach  the  funeral  of  Laura 
Campbell.  Ko  one  could  be  missed  more  by  Sue  and  myself 
or  be  a  greater  loss  to  the  church.  The  house  was  crowded, 
the  lower  part  with  colored,  the  galleries  by  white  persons, 
including  many  of  the  most  })rominent  citizens  of  the 
town.  Six  or  eight  gentlemen  acted  as  pall-bearers. 
This  morning,  being  rainy,  ...  I  attended 
l)rayer-meeting  alone.  To  my  surprise  and  pleasure  chapel 
was  nearly  full.  riic  Smiths,  Cabells,  Davises,  Minors, 
Gildersleeves,  and  Harrisons  have  been  quite  regular 
at  these  morning  meetings,  as  well  as  other  families. 
Professor  Peters  has  kindly  sus])endtd  his  7.30  to  8  exer- 
cises during  our  meeting,  stating  the  reason,  and  Mr. 
Minor  this  morning  postponed  his  examination  half  an 
hour,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  our  meeting. 
Rev.  Dr.  C.  H.  Head,  of  Richmond,  is  expected  here 
next  week  to  preach  before  Y.  M.  C.  Association,  and 
will  probably  remain  and  labor,  should  the  interest 
demand.^' 

On  March  25th,  1871,  he  wrote  to  his  mother: 

''     .     .     .     I   to-day   signified   my   acceptance   of   the 


130  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Staunton  call.  .  .  .  During  the  day  I  was  so  urged 
to  continue  the  meetings  and  preach  myself  that  I  decided 
it  was  mj  duty,  and  announced  accordingly. 
Last  evening  the  congregation  seemed  very  solemn. 
.  .  This  A.  M.  we  had  a  charming  prayer-meeting 
and  well   attended." 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  on  March  29th,  1871, 
Mr.  Taylor  refers  t<»  the  series  of  meetings.  Mr.  Wilson, 
of  whom  he  speaks,  was  the  Kev.  N.  Wilson,  the  brilliant 
pastor  of  the  Grace  Street  Baptist  Church,  Richmond, 
Va.: 

'Wilson  stayed  with  me  just  a  week.  .  .  .  He  is 
a  fine  sermonizer,  giving  striking,  yet  natural,  divisions 
with  very  fresh  filling  in.  His  delivery  is  in  every  respect 
excellent,  and  he  has  much  pathos  and  unction.  I  should 
call  him  a  born  preacher.  He  made  a  very  pleasing  im- 
pression, but  not  powerful,  except  by  one  sermon,  which 
was  one  of  the  most  affecting  I  ever  heard  from  any  one, 
anywhere — on  the  Crucifixion.  He  says  it  is  his  best,  and 
cost  him  weeks,  if  not  months,  of  work.  .  .  .  Finally 
you  will  ask  what  are  the  results.  I  answer,  I  cannot  tell. 
But  I  am  sure  Christians  are  greatly  revived  and  stirred 
up,  students  and  others,  and  I  think  that  spiritual  and 
active  piety  have  been  placed  upon  a  higher  and  finer 
position.  Several  students  are  expecting  to  join  the 
various  churches." 

On  April  9th,  1871,  he  writes  again  to  his  brother 
Charles : 

"...  After  writing  my  last  I  went  on  for  two 
or  three  nights,  preaching  myself.     .     .     .     Two  young 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       131 

men  will  bo  baptized,  two  or  three  join  Methodists,  one 
Presbyterian  .  .  .  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  will 
be  confirmed  Friday  by  Bishop  Whittle,  whom  I  have 
invited  to  preach  here  at  the  same  time." 

On  May  14th  he  writes  to  his  father  and  mother: 

"  .  .  .  The  day  is  transcendently  glorious. 
.  .  .  Dr.  Davis  sends  us  lettuce  and  dressing  daily,  and 
has  this  week  sent  sturgeon.  He  is  too  kind.  IIow  much 
we  shall  hate  to  leave  this  sweetest  of  places  and  this  dear, 
dear  people!" 

On  May  21st  he  writes  to  his  brother  Charles  and  teUs 
of  preaching  the  funeral  of  a  colored  man  who  was  much 
esteemed : 

''  .  .  .  Do  you  remember  Uncle  James,  wh(»  was 
always  in  his  place  at  chapel  t  He  fell  dead  last  Tuesday. 
He  had  expressed  the  wish  1  should  j)reach  his  funeral, 
which  I  did  Wednesday  p.  m.,  at  the  colored  church  (Dela- 
van).  Two  colored  ministers  participated  in  the  services 
and  Drs.  Cabell  and  Minor  were  present,  and  a  large 
crowd  of  colored  persons.  .  .  .  Suffer  a  suggestion 
here.  Prepare  with  care  three  or  four  funeral  sermons, 
ready  for  occasion.  It  is  well  not  to  say  much  about  the 
deceased,  unless  the  case  is  remarkable,  and  if  a  pastor 
don't  begin,  it  will  not  be  expected.  If  it  is  his  habit, 
he  will  sometimes  be  in  an  embarrassing  position — a 
conflict  between  conscience  and  what  is  expected.  It  is 
a  good  plan,  I  have  found,  to  write  carefully  what  you 
propose  to  say  of  the  party.  Otherwise  one  sometimes 
says  too  much,  or  at  least  not  just  what  he  would  choose. 
Finally,   except   when  the   deceased   was   such   that   any 


132  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

allusion  to  him  is  very  instructive  and  stimulating,  I 
prefer  to  begin  with  what  is  personal,  and  then  preach 
my  sermon  as  such.  What  think  you  ?  .  .  .  At  the 
grave  the  colored  people  sang  two  hymns,  while  the  grave 
was  deliberately  Mlled  u]).  1  have  never  seen  the  whole 
thing  more  decently  and  solemnly  and  impressively  done. 

Drs.  C and  M and  ^laupin,  Gildersleeve,  Peters 

and  Smith  and  family  went  to  the  grave." 

On  June  lOth  1871,  he  wrote  to  his  father: 

^'  .  .  .  Since  my  return  I  have  been  the  victim 
of  dyspepsia,  suffering  great  discomfort  for  hours  after 
eating  what  seemed  to  me  very  innocent  meals.  I  am 
now  trying  the  strictest  dieting  as  to  quantity  and  quality. 
I  have  been  reading  Whateley's  ^lemoirs,  just  out,  two 
large  volumes  and  mostly  made  up  of  his  letters.  Very 
interesting.     ...     I  am  sawing  my  own   wood.'' 

During  the  summer  of  1871  Mr.  Taylor  preached  at 
Staunton,  his  family  remaining  at  the  University  of 
\'irginia  until  September,  when  the  move  to  Staunton 
was  made.  He  writes,  from  Staunton  July  25th,  to  his 
brother  Charles : 

''I  left  University  yesterday,  having  spent  three  pleasant 
days  there,  talking  with  the  family,  fondling  my  children, 
playing  croquet,  calling  on  Dr.  Davis'  family,  seeing 
Long,  J.  A.  B.,  etc.  ...  I  came  over  on  the  freight. 
Being  misinformed  as  to  the  time,  I  reached  the  depot 
after  the  train  had  started,  and  had  barely  time  to  jump 
on  a  flat  loaded  with  lumber.  At  Ivy  I  was  invited  by 
the  engineer  to  take  a  seat  with  him,  which  I  did,  and 
had  a  charming  ride.'' 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       133 

From  the  I^niversity  of  Virginia  hv  wi'<ttt\  on  August 
1st,  1871,  to  his  mother: 

"Father  seemed  so  unwell  Saturday  morning  that  ho 
decided  to  get  off  at  Staunton  and  stay  with  me,  which 
I  was  very  glad  of.  We  were  most  kindly  cared  for  at 
Miss  Mary  Bledsoe's.  .  .  .  Yesterday  we  came  on 
together,  Fannie  being  with  us  to  Charlottesville.  He 
had  half  purposed  to  keej)  on  to  Richmond,  but  I,  feeling 
it  very  desirable  he  should  see  Dr.  Davis  again,  succeeded 
in  stopping  him." 

He  wrote  to  his  mothtn-  about  the  move  from  the  Uni- 
versity. He  alludes  to  the  Misses  Ross,  who  kept  for  years 
at  the  Univc^rsity  of  Virginia  a  most  popular  boarding- 
house  : 

'^  .  .  .  We  expect  to  devote  to-morrow  to  moving 
our  goods  to  the  car.  After  accomplishing  this  we  shall 
go  to  the  Misses  Ross',  where  we  have  been  kindly  invited, 
and  where  we  will  be  most  kindly  entertained.  To-night 
we  shall  sleep  on  pallets,  but  I  trust  will  sleep  soundly. 
Thursday  we  hope  to  leave  for  Staunton." 

Thus  came  to  an  end  the  two  years  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  years  which  were  ever  remembered  most 
pleasantly,  not  only  by  Mr.  Taylor  and  his  wife,  but  also 
by  the  older  children. 


CHAPTER  V 

Second  Pastorate  in  Staunton  —  Departure  for  Rome 

Go  thou  to  Rome — at  once  the  Paradise, 
The  grave,  the  city  and  the  wilderness, 

— Shelley. 
+ 

The  Staunton  Church,  which  had  been  so  loath  to  have 
Mr.  Taylor  leave  them,  gave  him  a  royal  welcome  upon 
his  return.  Besides  the  regular  work  of  his  pastorate, 
Mr.  Taylor  taught  some  hours  every  week  in  the  Staunton 
Baptist  Female  Institute,  which  had  recently  been  estab- 
lished by  the  distinguished  teacher  and  scholar,  Prof. 
John  Hart.  For  one  or  two  years  after  the  return  to 
Staunton,  Miss  Annie  Prichard  and  Mr.  John  L.  Prich- 
ard,  children  of  Mr.  Taylor's  widowed  sister,  were  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  the  former  being  a  student  in  Mr. 
Hart's  school  and  the  latter  at  work  in  the  oflSce  of  the 
Valley  Virginian.  With  these  words  of  explanation,  let 
Mr.  Taylor's  letters  continue  the  story. 

On  September  19th,  1871,  he  wrote  from  Staunton  a 
letter  addressed  to  his  two  brothers: 

"While  I  am  waiting  for  my  Moral  Philosophy  class 
I  will  write  a  few  lines.  ...  I  had  looked  forward 
to  moving  with  almost  dread,  I  mean  the  worry  of  pack- 
ing, etc.,  but  we  passed  through  it  with  comparative 
comfort.     We  reached  Staunton    Thursday  p.  m.,  in  the 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       135 

heaviest  rain  T  ever  saw,  and  at  once  went  out  to  Brother 
Peyton's.        .     .     .     We  are  mighty  pleasantly  fixed  at 

Brother  P 's,   faring  sumptuously,   and  treated  with 

utmost  kindness.      Annie   and   G and   I   ride   in   to 

school  every  morning,  and  they  send  for  us  in  the  p.  m. 
Yesterday  I  hauled  my  furniture  into  my  house,  which 
it  shares  with  carpenters,  plasterers  and  painters.  To- 
day the  ladies  are  fixing  things,  asking  us  to  let  them 
put  everything  in  order,  and  simply  walk  in  when  they 
are  done.  We  acquiesce.  Of  course  they  will  find  out 
the  nakedness  of  the  land.  ...  I  preached  Sunday 
A.  M.^  without  a  scrap,  a  new  sermon  from  ^My  peace  I 
give  unto  you.'  I  enjoyed  it,  and  it  has  helped  me  since. 
I  resolutely  rushed  through  in  thirty-three  minutes,  though 
I  could  have  easier  and  better  preached  fifty  or  sixty 
minutes.  I  mean  to  come  down  to  short  sermons,  as  a 
rule.  I  have  engaged  for  the  present  to  teach  two  classes 
per  day,  giving  forty  minutes  to  each.  .  .  .  There's 
dinner — I'm  tired,  himgry  and  just  a  little  blue.  But 
this  last  I  never  mean  to  yield  to,  and  dinner  and  rest 
will  cure  the  others." 

On  September  26th,  1871,  Mr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his 
mother : 

^'We  spent  all  of  last  week  at  Brother  Peyton's. 
.  .  .  We,  however,  kept  away  from  our  house,  being 
requested  to  do  so  by  the  ladies,  who  were  meantime  as 
busy  as  bees  fixing  it  and  doing  we  knew  not  what.  Satur- 
day we  were  notified, to  come  in  and  take  possession.  So 
that  p.  M.,  about  five  o'clock.  Sue,  Annie,  Mary,  nurse, 
baby  and  I,  in  a  large  two-seated  buggy,  and  George  in 


136  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

cart  with  Oscar  and  Phil  Jeter  and  our  luggage,  came  in, 
feeling,  I  assure  jou,  very  funny.  This  last  was  much 
increased  by  being  met  by  Brother  X.  B.  Hill  a  square 
from  the  house,  and  told  that  Dr.  Sears  would  make  us 
a  little  speech  on  our  arrival.  We  found  the  sidewalk 
and  porch  and  passage  and  rooms  pretty  full,  and  then 
came  a  kissing  and  handshaking,  and  a  buzz  of  voices ;  and 
thru  Dr.  Sears  made  a  sweet,  touching,  beautiful  little 
address,  beginning  'Dear  Pastor.'  He  referred  to  the 
sacrifices  and  suiferings  I  had  endured  in  my  former 
pastorate — the  joy  of  the  people  to  have  me  back,  and  their 
purpose  to  care  for  my  wants — said  I  had  fixed  my  house 
beautifully,  and  they  had  put  some  things  into  it,  etc. ; 
and  that  these  were  not  a  mere  ebullition,  but  were  only 
the  first  fruits  of  what  would  continue,  etc.  Of  course 
T  give  you  only  the  outline  of  what  was,  as  I  said  above, 
a  beautiful,  sweet,  affectionate  and  complimentary  ad- 
dress. I  said  'Thankie'  in  a  choked  word  or  two  and 
then  we  all  had  a  crying  spell.  Then  we  were  taken 
around.  Almost  all  the  old  furniture  that  was  worth  it 
had  been  under  the  hand  of  the  cabinet  maker,  and  looked 
like  new.  The  parlour  and  study  newly  carpeted,  with 
same  pattern,  the  former  elegantly  furnished  with  carved 
walnut  and  haircloth  set.  Handsome  curtains  to  all  the 
rooms  and  oilcloth  in  passage.  Upstairs,  one  room  with 
matting  and  latter  with  new  set  of  cottage  furniture.  In 
the  kitchen  a  new  cooking  stove,  store-room  and  china 
closet  neatly  shelved  and  weW  supplied  with  eatables  and 
ware  of  all  sorts.  Besides,  the  pictures  were  hung,  our 
bed  covered  with  new  spread,  and  many  nice  ornaments 


KEV.    GEORGE    HOAKDMAN    TAYI.OK,    D.     D.  137 

for  bureau  and  mantel.  After  taking  us  around,  and 
saying  numberless  kind  things,  everybody  left,  except  two 
or  three,  who  stayed  to  supper.  We  had  fowls  variously 
cooked,  hot  rolls,  butter,  tea,  and  coffee,  and  milk,  several 
kinds  of  cake.  As  regards  the  ]^ermanent  arrangements, 
1  hope  you  will  soon  come  and  see  for  yourself,  but  yuu 
will  be  interested  in  hearing  more  details  as  to  the  pantry. 
Barrel  of  flour,  six  sugar-cured  hams,  quarter  of  beef, 
barrel  of  potatoes,  pile  of  sweet  potatoes,  some  cabbage, 
packages  of  coffee,  sugar,  spices,  apples,  perhaps  a  dozen 
or  more  jars  of  preserves,  pickle,  etc.,  three  or  four  jars 
of  lard,  a  dozen  fowls  in  the  coo]).  ^ly  books  were  all 
shelved.  .  .  .  Yesterday  we  had  lots  of  (N»m])any, 
though  everybody  had  to  cijme  in  the  back  door,  the  front 
porch  being  newly  painted.  Sunday  three  country  mem- 
bers dined  with  us.  .  .  .  Our  house  is  [)ronounced 
by  everybody    handsome  and  convenient." 

Mr.  Taylor's  letters  to  his  loved  ones  do  not  leave  us 
in  doubt  about  the  fact  that  he  was  a  most  tireless  and 
conscientious  worker,  and  that  he  usually  worked  under 
the  fearful  handicap  of  very  frail  health,  and  much  physi- 
cal pain.  Under  date  of  October  12th,  1871,  he  writes 
to  his  brothers : 

'^  .  .  .  After  spending  two  days  in  bed  last  week, 
I  got  up  Saturday  to  go  into  the  country  to  fill  some 
appointments.  The  brother  who  was  to  have  taken 
me  couldn't  go,  but  sent  up  a  fine  horse  and  buggy;  so 
after  taking  Annie,  Mary,  and  Spotswood  a  ride  of 
a  mile  or  two,  I  started  with  George.  We  went  eleven 
miles — road,  air,  scenery  delightful.     Spent  the  night  at 


138  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Brother  Collins^  About  midnight  I  was  taken  quite  ill, 
and  after  suffering  as  long  as  I  could  bear  it,  wak(d 
George,  who  brought  up  Brother  Collins,  who  admin- 
istered remedies  and  stayed  with  me  some  time,  till  T 
was  in  a  measure  relieved.  Sunday  morning  I  was  quite 
unwell,  but  determined  to  try  to  preach.  So  they  made 
me  a  fire  in  the  coimting  room  in  the  mill,  where  I  could 
be  quiet  and  toast  myself  and  study  and  pray  over  my 
sermon.  We  had  at  Greenville  a  large  and  in  every  way 
desirable  congregation,  and  I  have  seldom  felt  more  of  the 
afflatus   or    had   conditions    more   in   sympathy.     .     .     . 

After  resting  until  four,  accompanied  by  Brother  C , 

leaving  George  to  go  to  a  neighboring  Sunday  school,  I 
went  some  seven  or  eight  miles  to  a  new  Baptist  Church 
right  at  the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge  and  among  the  pines 
as  they  say.  Ran  into  a  poor  but  hospitable  house,  and 
got  a  cup  of  coffee  and  then  preached  to  a  crowded  and 
attentive  congregation.  Every  word  I  spoke  hurt  me. 
Then  we  rode  home  [/.  e.,  to  Collins']  over  the 
rough  road,  and  in  the  darkness,  and  I  got  to  bed  by 
twelve.  Monday  was  spent  solidly  in  pastoral  visiting, 
having  worship,  though  all  cost  much  effort,  and  at  night 
T  crossed  over  six  miles,  and  preached  at  Middlebrook. 
Tuesday,  rejoiced  at  having  done  my  work,  I  came  home. 
.  .  Yesterday  I  met  my  classes.  ...  I  have 
always  had  a  great  prejudice  against  teaching  girls,  but 
I  rather  enjoy  it.  I  have  three  classes.  ...  In  all 
three  classes  is  a  girl  of  sixteen,  Avho  is  a  candidate  for 
Mr.  Hart's  highest  degree.  She  is  lovely  in  person  and 
apparently  so  in  mind   and  heart.     .     .     .     Dr.   Eyster 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       139 

is  practising  on  me.  I  hope  he  will  get  me  rectus  in 
jmlpito  by  Sunday." 

On  December  ;>rcl,  1871,  hi-  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles : 

"  .  .  .  I  wrote  yesterday  the  last  of  my  four 
promised  articles  for  the  Herald.  It  is  an  account  of  my 
visit  to  Spurgeon.  .  .  .  They  wrote  asking  me  to 
write  for  Sentinel  and  offering  to  send  that  and  Western 
Recorder.  1  agreed,  ordering  copies  for  self,  J.  B.  T.  Jr. 
(who  happened  to  be  here  and  said  he  would  like  it),  and 
Mrs.  Slaughter,  who  is  anxious  for  reading  matter. 
.  .  .  During  this  last  week  I  have  felt  more  like  a 
well  man  (though  not  perfectly  well  yet)  than  I  have 
done  since  moving  over.  T  am  trying  to  take  more  physi- 
cal exercise,  which  I  think  is  the  life  of  body  and  soul. 
Yesterday  I  walked  seven  or  eight  miles,  paying  pastoral 
visits,  etc.  You  know  I  have  no  mare.  This  morning  I 
was  surprised  to  find  the  ground  covered  with  snow,  and 
the  snow  still  falling.  It  thinned  our  congregation 
(though  it  was  large  for  the  day),  and  chilled  me  for 
preaching.  I  have  seldom  felt  flatter,  and  but  for  re- 
membering my  great  enjoyment  last  Sunday  night,  I 
reckon  I  should  conclude  I  wasn't  called.  .  .  .  Since 
I  wrote  you  we  have  had  brief,  pleasant  visits  from 
father.  Carter  Braxton  and  J.  B.  T.  Jr." 

In  a  letter,  dated  December  10th,  1871,  to  his  brothers, 
Mr.  Taylor  speaks  of  a  recent  visit  he  had  just  made  to 
Richmond,  referring  to  his  sister  Jane,  Mrs.  J.  L.  Prich- 
ard,  and  to  his  brother-in-law,  Rev.  A.  E.  Dickinson: 

"...  Mother  is  wonderfully  well  and  bright, 
specially  when  you  think  what  she  goes  through.     Jane 


140  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

is  a  wonderful  worker,  at  times  sceniing  stern  and  severe, 
but  with  a  world  of  sunshine  under  it  all.  She  and  I 
had  some  sweet  talks  after  all  had  retired.  Alfred  is  as 
entertaining  as  ever.  ...  I  dined  one  day  at  his 
house  with  Burrows,  Wilson,  Jeter,  Bitting,  Harrison,  etc. 
.  .  .  1  was  at  college  twice  .  .  .  attending  one 
of  H.  H.  Harris's  New  Testament  Greek  lectures.  E 
preached  Wednesdav  night  for  Wilson.  .  .  .  Robert 
Prichard  is  very  ill,  at  times  suffering  much,  and  I  should 
think  sinking.  He  talked  very  freely  to  me — said  he  was 
often  full  to  overflowing  with  happiness,  and,  in  reply  to 
my  question,  said  that  while  he  was  utterly  at  a  loss  what 
tr»  think  of  his  case,  he  would  not  be  at  all  shocked  to 
know  death  was  very  near.  .  .  .  Most  of  the  time 
father  was  very  drooping,  lying  down  and  having  little 
to  say.  .  .  .  Part  of  the  time,  too,  he  was  in  pain. 
I  am  not  without  hope  that  he  may  rally;  but  I  cannot 
repress  the  sad  fear  that  he  will  not  be  fully  himself 
again.  He  said  to  me:  'I  say  to  myself  night  and  day,  I 
must  shortly  put  off  this  tabernacle;'  and  added,  'T  have 
no  fear  or  concern  on  the  subject.'  " 

Three  days  later  he  writes  again  to  his  brothers: 
"  .  .  .  I  have  just  written  a  long  letter  to  father. 
My  heart  is  always  deeply  aliected  when  I  think  of  how 
we  have  been  blessed  in  our  dear  parents,  and  specially 
now  that  they  are  growing  old  and  that  father  seems 
sinking  under  years  and  toils.  I  feel  not  only  the  ten- 
derest  love  and  solicitude  for  him  and  for  mother  in  her 
anxiety,  but  also  as  if  I  was  called  as  with  a  trumpet  to 
ii'ird  myself  anew  for  life's  battle — to  trv  to  be  a  better, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       141 

more  self-denying,  more  useful  man.  My  heart  also  goes 
out  most  tenderly  to  all  the  others  who  must,  some  day, 
I  tremble  to  say  'ere  long,'  suffer  with  me  a  common  and 
heavy  bereavement.  .  .  .  For  myself  I  mourn  that 
I  have  not  been  to  you  both  more  like  the  ^elder  brother' 
of  us  all ;  while  I  do  thank  God,  not  only  for  my  parents, 
but  also  that  we,  their  sons,  have  ever,  despite  the  indi- 
vidualities of  each,  felt  such  mutual  love  and  have  so 
clung  together,  and  that  I,  for  my  part,  have  so  often 
derived  great  benefit  from  the  suggestions  and  sympathy 
of  each  of  you.  Let  us,  even  more  than  ever,  cling  to  each 
other,  bear  with  and  help  one  another." 

The  great  sorrow  was  even  nearer  than  any  one  sup- 
posed. The  first  break  in  the  family  circle  came  as  the 
Christmas-tide  approached.  James  B.  Taylor  passed  to  his 
reward  on  December  21st,  1871,  with  all  his  children  at 
his  side.  His  death  was,  as  his  life  had  been,  marked  by 
calm  reliance  on  Jesus,  and  a  strong,  abiding  peace.  Long 
years  after  this  event,  Mr.  Taylor  wrote  to  a  friend  whose 
father  had  just  crossed  over  the  river,  saying  that  life 
had  never  been  the  same  to  him  after  his  father's  death. 
A  resolution  passed  by  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  declared 
that  in  their  opinion  George  B.  Taylor  was  emim^ntly 
qualified  to  write  a  memoir  of  his  father.  Upon  this 
task  he  at  once  set  to  work  with  all  the  energy  and  deter- 
mination of  his  being.  He  realized  that  it  was  important 
to  have  the  book  appear  as  soon  as  possible  and,  indeed,  by 
the  first  week  in  May  the  MS.  was  finished.  Yet  all 
through  these  months  he  was  very  far  from  well.     Again 


142  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  again  his  letters  tell  of  his  being  sick  in  bed.  More 
than  once  he  was  unable  to  preach.  At  one  time  the 
heavy  work  upon  him,  along  with  the  great  draft  upon 
his  emotional  nature,  almost  gave  him  brain  fever.  Once 
for  a  week  he  went  off  merely  to  rest,  though  this  was  a 
thing  he  rarely  ever  did.  His  pulpit  and  pastoral  work  was 
kept  up,  and  he  even  went  for  a  meeting  to  Charlottes- 
ville, and  was  in  another  at  the  University  until  provi- 
dentially called  home.  Scarcely  had  he  completed  his 
manuscript  before  he  was  called  on  to  carry,  at  the  same 
time,  the  responsibility  as  the  host  of  the  Baptist  General 
Association  of  Virginia,  meetinc^  in  its  annual  session 
at  his  church,  and  the  anxiety  caused  by  the  extreme  ill- 
ness of  his  infant  son,  Spotswo<^d.  At  this  meeting  of 
the  General  Association  the  Memorial  Movement,  which 
had  as  its  object  the  raising  of  $300,000  for  the  endow- 
ment of  Richmond  College,  in  which  work  Mr.  Taylor 
was  to  bear  a  prominent  part,  was  set  on  foot.  It  is 
interesting  to  remember  that  at  this  meeting  also  a  reso- 
lution was  passed  approving  of  the  purpose  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  to  build  a  chapel  in  Rome,  Italy,  and 
calling  upon  Virginia  Baptists  to  raise  the  $5,000  asked 
of  them  for  this  object.  How  little  Mr.  Taylor,  or  any 
one  else  in  the  meeting,  dreamed  that  he  would  be  the  man 
who  would  go  and  build  that  chapel ! 

On  February  4th,  1872,  he  writes  to  his  brother: 

"     .     .     .     The  next  day  I  was  taken  quite  sick,  and 

didn't  go  out  of  my  room  for  nearly  a  week — suffered  a 

good  deal — had  doctor  several  times — was  threatened  with 

brain    fever.     ...     I    am    at    work    again,    but    very 


REV.  GEOR(JE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  B.  143 

^shackling',  as  C.  E.  T.  would  say,  and  will  have  to  bear 
very  lightly  on  myself  for  a  while.  I  hope  to  get  on  the 
Memoir  again  next  week."  The  next  day,  writing  to  his 
mother,  he  says :  "My  wish  is  to  avoid  the  Memoir  on 
Sunday,  it  being  in  a  manner  workJ^ 

Rev.  Dr.  H.  A.  Tupper  was  elected  corresponding  secre- 
tary of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  to  succeed  Dr.  James 
B.  Taylor.  An  extract  from  a  letter  which  he  wrote  on 
February  21st,  1872,  to  Dr.  George  B.  Taylor,  gives  an 
interesting  fact: 

''Last  evening  your  letter  of  the  l7th  instant,  covering 
fifty  ($50)  from  your  people  for  Foreign  Missions, 
was  received.  That  the  first  contribution  after  my  en- 
trance into  office  should  be  from  the  son  of  my  beloved  and 
venerable  predecessor  fills  mo  with  deep  and  varied 
emotions." 

Mr.  Taylor,  who  was  such  a  letter  writer,  spoke  thus 
about  letters,  in  writing  to  the  home  circle  in  Richmond : 

''O  what  a  privilege  these  frequent  and  free  communings 
are!  Though  not  equal  to  face-to-face  interviews,  they 
are  inexpessibly  sweet.  It  is  not  any  given  thing  that  is 
written  that  is  so  important,  and  mightn't  be  dispensed 
with,  but  it  is  the  bringing  of  souls  that  are  separated 
into  a  sort  of  connection.  This  paper  that  I  am  now 
touching,  these  lines  I  am  tracing — you  all  will  be  hand- 
ling and  looking  on  to-morrow  night.  The  thoughts  and 
feelings  of  my  soul,  at  this  moment,  in  a  few  hours  will 
reach  your  souls  and  cause  them  to  vibrate  in  unison 
with  mine.  I  have  a  pleasing  picture  of  you  all  as  you 
meet  at  the  table  or  sit  in  that  cheerful  room — of  mother 


14:4  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

in  her  chair — of  Jane  in  her  school  room — of  Mary  help- 
ing mother  in  the  pantry —  ...  of  Greorgie  bringing 
up  the  mail,  and  Janie  conning  her  lesson.  .  .  .  True 
two  dear  ones  whom  I  met,  when  last  with  you,  are  gone. 
But  we  cannot  sorrow  for  them.  They  had  begun  to  be 
sufferers.  Now  they  are  with  Christ.  We  do  not  know 
all  that  this  means,  but  it  has  a  bright,  blessed  meaning. 
And  though  not  with  us  in  hody,  the  memory  of  them  is 
a  sweet  possession.  In  this  sense  they  still  abide  with 
me.  Indeed  father  specially  seems  by  my  side,  and  his 
dying  and  going  away  a  darh  dream.  I  don't  yet  realize 
what  is  the  case.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  do  not.  Only 
now  and  then  I  get  a  glimpse  of  the  truth.  This  is  God's 
mercyJ^ 

To  his  brother  Charles,  on  February  10th,  1872,  he 
writes : 

''  .  .  .  I  can't  say  I  enjoy  munching  my  stale 
brown  bread  while  the  rest  are  eating  French  rolls;  but 
we  must  eat  and  drink  to  the  glory  of  God.  .  .  .  For 
the  most  part,  my  plan  is  to  preach  old  sermons  until 
I  finish  the  Memoir.  But  last  Sunday  I  preached  one 
new  one,  which  I  thought  fresh,  on  a  hackneyed  theme 
(Enoch).  This  week  also  I  have  made  a  new  one,  'To 
Young  Men' — Text,  Gen.  xli  :  38.  Points — A  man  in  de- 
mand. What  sort  of  man.  The  source  of  his  qualifica- 
tion. .  .  .  But  save  yisiting  I  spend  every  available 
hour  on  the  Memoir.  I  say  available,  because  some  hours 
I  can  only  be  still  and  suffer.  .  .  .  The  writing  part 
of  my  work  is  easy  compared  with  digesting,  arranging 
and  selecting  matter  in  letters  and  diaries.    James  warned 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       145 

me  against  inserting  too  freely.  .  .  .  You  and  I 
leaned  more  to  the  plan  of  letting  the  letters  and  diaries 
just  tell  their  own  story." 

In  those  days  Staunton  had  no  daily  paper,  but  its 
weekly  papers  were  ably  edited.  Concerning  the  sermon 
to  young  men  alluded  to  above,  after  giving  an  outline 
of  it,  the  Valley  Virginian  said : 

"We  have  neither  the  space  nor  ability  to  do  justice 
to  the  good  man  or  the  sermon,  and  have  only  given  the 
more  prominent  features  of  the  discourse,  without  attempt- 
ing to  portray  the  beautiful  sentiments  and  eloquent 
ideas  of  the  minister,  nor  could  the  beauty  and  simplicity 
of  his  words  be  sufficiently  appreciated  without  being 
heard  from  his  own  lips.  We  hope  to  hear  many  more 
such,  and  to  see  the  good  seed  he  is  scattering  among  us 
yield  a  harvest  of  an  hundredfold." 

The  Spectator  closed  its  notice  of  the  sermon  with 
these  words :  "We  fall  far  short  of  doing  justice  to  the 
minister  or  his  sermon." 

From  Charlottesville  he  wrote,  on  March  18th,  to  his 
mother : 

"There  was  some  interest  in  the  congregation  here,  and 
I  received  repeated  calls  to  come  over  and  preach,  so  that 
last  Thursday  I  was  constrained  to  come,  expecting, 
however,  to  return  Saturday  or  at  farthest  to-day.  .  .  . 
My  personal  preference  would  have  been  to  keep  on  with 
the  Memoir,  and  carry  out  my  programme ;  but  the  Lord 
seemed  to  direct  otherwise,  and  I  have  lately  felt  much 
stimulated  by  contemplating  my  father's  example,  to  try 


146  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

to  abound  more  and  more  in  labors  of  usefulness  at  the 
expense  of  pei"sonal  inconvenience  and  sacrifice/' 

Just  a  month  later  he  writes  to  his  mother  about  his  re- 
turn from  the  University,  where  he  had  gone  to  preach 
for  some  days.  Rev.  Mr.  Long  had  preached  in  Staunton 
for  Mr.  Taylor,  and  upon  reaching  Charlottesville  re- 
ported that  Mrs.  Taylor  was  ill : 

^'  .  .  .  I  met  Mr.  Long  and  received  by  him  a 
letter  from  Susan.  The  letter  was  cheerful,  and  urged  me 
to  remain;  but  Mr.  Long  spoke  in  such  a  way  about  her 
as  to  make  me  feel  very  unhappy,  and  decided  me  to  return 
at  once,  which  I  did,  not  even  going  to  the  L^niversity  for 
my  trappings.  I  know  not  when  my  mind  has  received 
such  a  shock.  It  has  affected  me  most  painfully  ever 
since.  Sue  says  she  begged  Mr.  Long  not  to  make  such 
a  statement,  as  she  knew  best,  but  he  insisted  on  doing  it. 
I  feel  that  T  left  a  fine  opportunity  for  usefulness  ;    but 

with  Mr.  L 's  statement  and  advice  I,  of  course,  had 

no  option.  Susan  has  been  improving  rapidly  for  the 
last  few  days,  and  now  says  she  feel  almost  perfectly 
well ;    but  is  still  on  the  bed  for  prudence'  sake." 

Five  days  later  he  wrote  to  his  brother  James.  He- 
refers  to  Dr.  H.  A.  Tupper,  who  had  succeeded  James  B. 
Taylor  as  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board : 

"...  That  night  I  was  taken  quite  sick,  with 
burning  fever,  with  pains  in  head  and  limbs  and  back, 
and  sore  throat.  ...  I  continued  in  bed  all. Friday, 
Saturday  and  Sunday.  .  .  .  Got  a  Methodist  to 
preach  for  me  in  the  a.  m.,  and  shut  the  meeting-house  at 
night.     Dr.   Tupper  is  a  lovely  man,   and  said  and  did 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       147 

everything  possible  to  make  me  feel  pleasantly  and  to 
help  me.  .  .  .  Susan  is  now  dressed,  but  lying  down, 
feeling  rather  badly  most  of  the  time." 

On  May  2nd  he  writes  to  his  brother  Charles: 

"I  expect  to-day  and  to-morrow  to  write  the  last  pages 
of  the  Memoir,  and  finish  the  work  of  revision.  .  .  . 
The  last  few  weeks  have  been  a  season  of  great  pressure. 
I  have  written  every  available  moment.  Yesterday  with 
little  interruption  from  7.30  a.  m.  to  a  late  hour  at  night, 
and  then  after  retiring  could  not  sleep  for  thinking  of  it. 
I  couldn't  stand  such  pressure  much  longer.  Now  my 
heart  is  filled  with  a  sense  of  relief  and  gratitude  to  God 
to  whom  I  have  daily  looked  for  guidance  and  strength 
in  the  matter ;  and  I  am  trying  to  pray  for  direction 
and  a  blessing  in  the  matter  of  ])ublication." 

In  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  dated  June  17th, 
1872,  he  tells  of  the  session  of  the  General  Association, 
which  had  just  been  held  with  his  church: 

'^  .  .  .  Everyone  said  the  June  meeting  was  a 
success  every  way.  The  sickness  of  my  child  and  Susan's 
anxiety  interfered  with  my  comfort  and  enjoyment,  and 
while  I  went  on  the  principle  of  leaving  things  to  the 
committee  I  had,  of  course,  a  thousand  and  one  to  look 
after  myself,  so  that  I  couldn't  attend  very  continuously 
to  the  meeting.  I  think  a  good  impression  was  made  alike 
on  the  entertainers  and  the  entertained,  and  that  an  im- 
pulse was  given  to  our  cause  in  Virginia.  There  was  too 
much  bragging,  etc.,  for  my  taste,  and  that  from  men  I 
could    hardly    have  expected  it    from.       The  centennial 


148  LIFE    A^'D    LETTERS    OF 

meeting  promises  to  be  the  occasion  of  a  great  movement 
among  our  people.  I  hope  and  yet  I  tremble. 
Will  we  raise  $300,000?  ...  So  I  am  divided 
between  a  sort  of  triumphant  joy  and  a  trembling  fear. 
.  .  .  The  handsome  Presbyterian  Church  edifice  was 
dedicated  yesterday  week.  They  had  a  general  service 
in  the  p.  m.,  and  I  spoke  for  the  town  pastors,  and  my 
speech  gave  great  satisfaction.  Dr.  M.  D.  Hoge  was,  both 
in  public  and  private,  very  complimentary  to  me  and  the 
Baptists.  Said  in  his  speech  that  he  had  read  my  letters 
about  London  with  eager  interest,  etc.  The  next  day  I 
got  an  affectionate  letter  from  William  Frazier,  thanking 
me  for  my  address,  and  begging  me  to  spend  as  much 
time  as  I  could  at  Capon  Springs.  .  .  .  Our  baby  is 
convalescent  of  his  pneumonia,  but  has  the  whooping- 
cough,  and  Susan  is  almost  broken  down  nursing  him 
day  and  night  for  weeks  and  weeks.  ...  I  am  never 
well,  but  hope  with  rest  to  improve." 

For  some  weeks  Mrs.  Taylor  and  the  children  were 
the  guests  of  C.  E.  Mason's  family  at  their  ''shanty,'' 
near  Jerry's  Run.  Mr.  Mason  was  building  the  Alle- 
ghany tunnel,  almost  a  mile  long,  and  his  family,  to  be 
with  him,  were  sojourning  for  the  sumjner  in  a  house  on 
the  side  of  the  mountain.  The  work  on  the  tunnel  was 
being  done  by  convicts,  and  one  of  their  number  was 
cooking  for  the  family.  On  July  16th,  1872,  Dr.  Taylor 
(a  few  weeks  before  this  time  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  was  conferred  upon  Mr.  Taylor  by  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago  and  Richmond  College)  wrote  to  his 
brother  Charles: 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       149 

'^  .  .  .  1  was  suminoned  to  my  family  in  Alle- 
ghany, my  child  being  very  ill.  The  Lord  was  merciful, 
sparing  him.  .  .  .  I  preached  to  the  convicts  and 
others,  'did'  the  tunnel,  bathed,  read  Walter  Scott,  talked 
to  the  Mason  girls,  and  should  have  had  a  very  pleasant 
time  but  for  losing  my  rest,  which  always  knocks  me  up. 
.  .  .  Father  and  Dr.  Poindexter  are  daily  with  me. 
Do  you  not  experience  that  ?" 

The  next  letter,  to  his  mother,  was  from  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  attending  to  the  publication  of  his  father's 
Memoir.     He  writes: 

''I  am  stopping  at  a  cheap  but  excellent  house,  and 
am  very  comfortable.  Last  evening  went  out  and  spent 
the  night  at  Upland  with  Dr.  Pendleton.  He  and  his 
family  treated  me  with  great  kindness  and  cordiality.  I 
met  also  Professor  Osgood  and  liked  him,  and  a  Miss 
Sally  Crozer,  granddaughter  of  the  elder  Crozer. 
I  sat  in  the  printing  office  and  wept  this  morning,  read- 
ing his  last  entries  and  letters,  and  the  account  of  his 
last  days." 

The  ''History"  alluded  to  in  the  next  letter  was  a  his- 
tory of  Virginia  Baptists,  left  incomplete  by  Dr.  James 
B.  Taylor,  and  which  his  son  proposed  to  complete;  this, 
however,  he  never  did.  The  date  of  this  letter  is  October 
25th,  1872: 

"...     Since  I  commenced  on  the  History,  it  has 

been  very  absorbing,  engaging  every  available  hour  day 

and  night.     .     .     .     This    brings    me    to    the    Memoir. 

.     ,     Alfred   and   I   furnished   the   stereotype   plates, 

which  cost,  in  round  figures,  $900.     The  society  manages 


150  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

the  whole  business,  paying  us  thirty  cents  for  each  copy 
sold.  The  sale  of  3,000  copies  will  just  pay  for  the  plates. 
If  less  are  sold  of  course  we  lose;  if  more  the  proceeds 
go  to  the  Foreig-n  Missions  and  Memorial  Fund.  .  .  . 
Tuesday  Rev.  A.  C.  Barron  came  and  preached,  and  made 
a  fine  impression.  But  the  next  day  it  began  to  pour  and 
has  done  so  ever  since.  It  is  hard  not  to  be  disheartened 
and  depressed.  Brother  Barron  is  staying  with  me.  He 
is  a  lovely  Christian  brother,  and  a  man  of  fine  talents  as 
a  preacher.  I  like  him  much.  Yesterday  a  daughter  was 
born  into  my  house.  We  call  her  Susy  Braxton.  Spots- 
wood  is  rather  delicate,  but  wonderfully  bright  and  smart, 
and,  except  when  under  the  weather,  good." 

To  his  mother,  under  date  of  ^N^ovember  26th,  1872,  he 
writes,  from  Covington,  Va.,  making  allusion  to  the  move- 
ment for  raising  $300,000  for  Richmond  College : 

'^  .  .  .  I  left  home  last  Thursday  to  fill  a  series 
of  memorial  appointments.  We  have  had  to  contend  with 
very  unfavorable  weather,  cold,  snow  and  heavy  rain; 
but  nevertheless  we  have  had  a  pleasant  and  successful 
time.  ...  I  think  I  was  never  more  harassed  and 
pressed  in  my  life  than  from  the  time  of  my  getting 
back  from  Fredericksburg  to  the  time  of  my  leaving  on 
this  trip.  ...  I  am  happy  and  thankful  that  while 
my  labors  have  been  unusual,  almost  excessive  for  me, 
my  strength  has  not  failed,  and  my  health  has  even  im- 
proved." 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  evangelists  the  Methodists 
in  Virginia  ever  had  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Leonidas  Rosser. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       151 

Reference  is  made  to  him  in  the  next  letter,  which  bears 
date  of  December  2nd,  1872: 

"...  Quite  a  remarkable  meeting  is  in  })rogress 
here  in  the  Methodist  congregation,  under  the  preaching 
of  Dr.  L.  Rosser.  I  have  been  out  two  nights,  have  called 
on  Dr.  Rosser,  and  invited  him  to  tea.  Every  day  I  am 
more  and  more  a  Baptist,  yet  I  trust  more  and  more  dis- 
posed to  love  all  Christians,  and  rejoice  in  the  conver- 
sions of  souls  by  any  and  all  instnmientalities." 

Dr.  Taylor  wrote  on  December  3rd,  1872,  a  facetious 
letter,  to  his  brother  James,  and  was  a  little  uncertain 
as  to  how  his  brother  would  receive  it.  To  this  letter  he 
signed  himself  Gcorgius  Honeymaker  Sartor: 

''  .  .  .  Have  you  ever  heard,  my  dear  sir,  of  a 
system  known  as  Homeopathy  (is  it  derived  from  home 
or  Homer — the  former  would  give  it  the  charm  of 
domesticity,  the  latter  of  antiquity)  i  It  has  won  mighty 
conquests.  I  am  not  a  thorough  convert,  but  I  will  men- 
tion one  fact — I  brought  some  of  the  physic  with  me  from 
North  Carolina  last  May,  and  though  it  has  simply  re- 
mained in  my  desk  I  think  I  have  felt  better  than  usual. 
Certain  it  is,  I  have  had  neither  yellow  fever,  nettle  rash, 
nor  Asiatic  cholera  (terrible  diseases),  and  my  badly 
bruised  finger  is  slowly  recovering." 

In  a  letter  of  December  7th,  1872,  to  his  brother 
Charles,  he  says: 

"The  best  and  fullest,  and  most  eulogistic  notice  of 
Father  and  the  Memoir  is  in  last  week's  Western  Recorder, 
from  the  pen  of  J.  P.  Boyce." 


152  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

In  connection  with  the  work  of  the  Memorial  cam- 
paign, in  which  campaign  Dr.  Taylor  Avas  most  active, 
he  prepared  a  series  of  sermons  on  the  Baptists  and 
Virginia  Baptists,  first  preached  in  Staunton  and 
later  published  in  tract  form  by  the  American  Baptist 
Publication  Society.  He  alludes  to  this  series  in  a  letter 
written  to  his  mother,   December  14th,  1872 : 

^'I  have  been  working  intensely  all  the  week,  preparing 
the  first  lecture  of  my  series  on  the  Baptists.  ...  It 
will  be  followed  by  at  least  three  others.  Last  night  I 
worked  until  12.80,  but  usually  am  in  bed  an  hour  or 
more  earlier.  I  have  been  out  four  or  five  times  to  the 
Methodist  meeting.  They  always  insist  on  my  having  a 
big  chair  in  the  altar  and  taking  some  part.  ...  I 
really  enjoy  going,  and  should  go  oftener  if  I  had  time. 
.     .     .     The    weather    has    been    bitter,    affording    fine 

skating  for  the  boys.     J and  G went  last  night, 

skating  by  moonlight    till  9  o'clock,  and  G has  been 

again  to-night.  .  .  .  Some  one  ought  to  go  on  and 
beg  for  the  Memorial.  I  had  intended  to  spend  December 
in  Boston,  and  Brother  Bitting  had  written,  arranging  for 
it,  but,  in  consequence  of  the  fire,  Dr.  Fulton  wrote  me 
nothing  could  be  done.  I  will  either  go  soon  after  New 
Year  or.  give  it  all  up.  .  .  .  This  morning  I  had, 
besides  my  own  people,  some  Pedobaptists,  including  my 
reporter  friend.  I  took  very  strong  ground ;  hope  I  didn't 
hurt  anybody's  feelings.  ...  I  may  stir  up  a 
hornet's  nest.  .  .  .  This  morning  when  I  got  about 
half  way  through  I  discovered  that  I  had  failed  to  bring 
my  last  sheet  of  MS.     I  was  mightily  worried,  but  as  I 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       153 

preached  on,  J  kept  collecting  up  those  last  pages,  so 
that  I  believe  I  closed  possibly  even  more  flourishingly 
and  powerfully  than  I  would  have  done  with  paper.  I 
make  it  a  point  to  be  perfectly  straightforward,  so  I  said, 
'I  find,  to  my  discomfiture,  that  I've  left  some  of  my  MS., 
but  I  believe  I  can  give  you  the  sense  of  it.'  I  had  left 
it  in  my  overcoat,  and  thought  it  was  there,  but  con- 
cluded not  to  stop,  lest  it  might  not  be  there,  which  would 
have  been  awkward.  I  generally  go  over  the  sheets  just 
before  preaching,  but  omitted  it  this  time.  .  .  .  Sue 
went  out  this  morning  for  the  first  time  for  four  or  five 
months." 

The  year  1873  was  destined  to  be  a  most  eventful 
one,  in  some  respects  the  most  eventful,  in  his  life.  Its 
early  months  found  him,  released  by  his  church  upon 
request  of  the  Memorial  Committee,  at  work  in  northern 
cities  in  behalf  of  the  Memorial  movement.  The  winter 
of  1872-^73  was  one  of  unusual  rigor,  and  remembering 
this,  and  Dr.  Taylor's  frail  health,  the  wonder  is  that  his 
unceasing  labors,  exposure  to  the  weather,  and  excessive 
self-sacrifice,  did  not  end  his  life.  During  much  of  his 
sojourn  in  the  North  the  health  of  his  family  was  far 
from  good.  His  wife  was  feeble,  several  of  the  smaller 
children  seriously  sick,  and  finally  his  oldest  son  was  taken 
ill  with  pneumonia.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  Mr.  Taylor 
was  called  upon  to  decide  a  question  on  which  his  whole 
life  work  was  to  hinge.  About  this  time  he  wrote  several 
circular  letters  which  went  to  Culpeper  Court  House, 
Richmond  and  Wake  Forest,  where  his  brothers  and  sisters 
and  mother  lived.      These  letters  were  written  after  the 


154  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

fashion  of  a  newspaper,  those  from  Staunton  being  called 
^'The  Bulletin,"  and  those  from  other  places  ''The 
Traveller."  Most  of  these  letter-papers  bore  some  such 
heading  as  this : 

RICHMOND  ., 

^^^'^  ^1       THE  BULLETIN       |^  ^^^'^^ 

i  o 


Staunton,  Jan.  1,  1873  1  § 


From  the  first  ''Bulletin,"  bearing  the  above  date: 
"...  Sunday  night  Spotswood  .  .  .  was 
taken  quite  ill,  being  threatened  with  pneumonia. 
.  .  .  But  he  is  better  to-day.  .  .  .  The  Lord  be 
praised  for  sparing  the  dear  child.  .  .  .  My  Baptiatic 
series  has  been  an  unmitigated  pleasure  to  me.  .  .  . 
My  topic  last  Sunday  morning  was:  'What  the  Baptists 
Have  Done  for  the  World.'  Dr.  Sears  said  he  wished 
more  Pedobaptists  could  have  heard  it.  .  .  .  This 
relieved  me.  I  did  not  know  but  my  learning  was  dis- 
gusting him.  .  .  .  I  go  to  original  sources  for  every- 
thing. .  .  .  How  different  one  feels  doing  this  from 
what  he  does  getting  everything  second  or  tenth  hand ! 
.  .  Last  Monday  night  the  letter  of  the  Memorial 
Committee  to  the  church,  asking  my  release  to  under- 
take an  agency  in  the  l^orth,  was  taken  up.  I  stated  my 
position  thus:  was  willing  to  go  if  the  church  thought  I 
could  be  spared,  but  not  so  convicted  of  duty  as  to  insist 
if  they  declined.  An  animated  but  kind  discussion  oc- 
curred, extending  through  several  hours.  Before  the  meet- 
ing there  had  been  much  difference  of  opinion,  but  the 


KEV.  GEOKGE  BOAKDMAN  TAYLOR,  1).  D.       155 

result  was  a  cordial  and  unanimous  agreement  to  comply 
with  the  request  of  the  committee.  Brother  Hill  made 
an  eloquent  speech,  saying  he  would  choose  never  to  see 
me  out  of  the  pulpit,  etc.,  but  that  now  my  mother  called, 
and  I  ought  to  go ;  that  my  honored  father  had 
been  summoned  to  a  similar  work,  and  had  been  released 
by  the  Second  Church.  .  .  .  Only  one  thing  troubles 
me  besides  leaving  home — the  fear  of  failure,  and  not 
meeting  expectations.  But  I  will  do  my  best,  much  or 
little.  Last  night  Annie,  John  and  George  were  invited 
to  a  party  at  Dr.  Sears'.  x\nnie  and  George  went  and  had 
a  jolly  good  time.  I  religiously  encourage  them  to  go 
into  society,  thinking  ease  of  manners  and  knowledge  of 
life,  talents  a  Christian  may  use  for  God,  and  they  are 
best  acquired  by  going  into  society — good  society  when 
young." 

From  ''The  Bulletin,"  dated  January  15th,  the  follow- 
ing extracts  are  taken : 

"It  is  all  the  rage  now  in  Staunton  to  report  religious 
items.  It  has  some  advantages,  but  is  liable  to  abuse. 
Scene  in  G.  B.  T.'s  study:  Enter  reporter.  'Can  I  get 
the  MS.  of  your  yesterday's  sermon  V  'Would  be  pleased, 
but  gave  it  to  another  reporter  at  church.'  'I'll  get  it 
of  him,  but  I  am  sorry  he  is  ahead  of  me.'  Lately,  owing 
to  my  special  themes,  I  have  rather  monopolized  matters, 
and  it  has  amazed  me  to  see  the  willingness  of  Presby- 
terian and  Methodist  editors  to  print  my  Baptist  utter- 
ances. The  world  moves.  Mauzy,  a  student  at  the  Uni- 
versity during  my  chaplaincy,  has  reported  me  well  and 
flatteringly  every  week.     I  have  had  rather  to  hold  him 


156  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

in  check.  .  .  .  Spotswood  convalescent,  attenuated, 
weak  and  fretful,  utterly  unlike  himself.  Scene  in  cham- 
ber: I^urse  holding  one  baby.  The  mother  the  other. 
Sometimes  both  babies  on  same  lap.  First  babe  whim- 
pers. Second  babe  yells.  Trying  to  nerves.  But,  God 
be  thanked,  they  are  still  with  us." 

To  show  Dr.  Taylor  ^^in  lighter  vein,"  a  ''Bulletin — 
Extra,"  of  January  21st,  11  p.  m.,  will  be  given  entire: 

''We  had  intended  to  pursue  the  old  fogy,  conservative, 
even  tenor  of  our  way ;  but  we  find  that  cannot  be.  Heavy 
pressure  is  brought  to  bear  on  us,  and  we  are  forced  to 
quicken  our  steps.  We  must  do  this  or  die  ignominiously. 
]N'ot  willing  to  be  second  rate,  we  have  determined,  on 
entering  the  field  as  competitors  with  the  modern  news- 
paper, to  out-herod  Herod,  and  move  faster  than  any  paper 
in  existence,  though  Jehu  himself  were  driving  against 
us.     We,  therefore,  purpose  the  following: 

''First.  In  addition  to  our  regular  issue,  we  shall  issue 
three  extras  every  day,  and  when  much  is  occurring  will 
issue  one  every  hour  in  the  twenty-four.  Can  any  con- 
temporary beat  that? 

''Second.  We  shall  engage  Mrs.  John  Smith  to  edit 
our  family  de])artnient,  and  shall  have  several  letters  of 
ten  columns  each  from  each  of  the  younger  members  of 
the  Smith  family,  who,  our  readers  know,  are  numerous. 

"Third.  We  shall  send  a  special  correspondent  to  look 
for  Sir  John  Franklin — and  possibly  for  Dr.  Bennett's 
bones. 

"Fourth..  We  offer  the  following  remarkable  induce- 
ments   and   premiums   to   subscribers:    (1)    To    any   one 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       157 

sending  us  ten  subscribers  with  the  money,  a  hoop  skirt, 
a  chignon,  a  rattle,  a  baseball,  a  pastor's  manual,  Meander's 
Church  History,  a  fiddle,  a  sewing  machine,  a  pair  of 
baptizing  pants,  an  organ  and  a  baptistery.  (2)  For 
twenty  subscribers  without  any  money  at  all,  double  the 
above.  (3)  For  fifty  subscribers,  strictly  dead  head,  a 
farm,  McCormick's  reaper,  six  oxen,  and  a  goad  made  of 
cedar  from  Mt.  Lebanon.  (4)  The  above  evinces  our 
desire  to  please  all  and  be  liberal,  but  we  continue.  Some 
may  love  the  fine  arts.  Accordingly,  we  shall  every  Mon- 
day morning  send  an  express  messenger  to  China,  and  one 
to  Patagonia,  to  select  for  us  the  finest  chromos.  For  100 
subscribers  we  will  give  a  chromo  thirty  feet  by  forty,  and 
a  house  to  put  it  in.  To  every  old  subscriber  renewing, 
we  offer  a  panorama,  a  Chester  hog,  a  church  steeple,  and 
a  scholarship  at  Oxford  University." 

The  next  "Bulletin,"  dated  January  21st,  1873,  among 
other  things  contains  the  following: 

"I  saw  a  little  newspaper  item  lately  that  touched  me ; 
^Pillow  Prayers.'  I  believe  if  I  ever  pray,  it  is  when  I 
am  lying  awake  at  night.  'When  I  awake  I  am  still  vdth 
Thee.'  " 

On  February  5th,  1873,  from  Philadelphia,  he  wrote 
to  his  brother  Charles : 

''  .  .  .  Stayed  two  nights  at  your  (Guy's)  hotel, 
but  left  because  it  was  needlessly  expensive.  Can  be  about 
as  comfortable  here  at  one-half  or  one-third.  I  have  for 
some  time  been  fighting  a  bronchial  trouble,  w^hich  was 
much  aggravated  by  my  trip  here,  and  running  around 
some  in  weather,  either  fearfully  cold  or  else  rainy  and 


158  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

slushy.  As  the  result  I  am  almost  voiceless.  It  is  un- 
comfortable not  being  able  to  talk  much  above  a  whisper, 
and  I  may  continue  so  for  days.  Fortunately  it  seems  to 
be  the  general  impression  that  more  can  be  done  by  private 
appeals  to  solid  men  than  by  preaching,  and  I  am  adopt- 
ing the  former  plan.  Still  I  know  it  would  greatly  aid 
me  were  I  able  to  make  myself  heard,  as  I  could  do  every 
day  and  Sunday  too.  But  the  Lord  knows  best.  Doubt- 
less my  physical  status  has  been  ground  out  by  the  in- 
exorable movement  of  natural  causes  working  according 
to  natural  laws ;  but  that  does  not  exclude  God.  The 
very  day  I  came  here  I  went  to  see  Bucknell,  the  leviathan 
of  these  waters ;  talked  to  him  for  two  hours.  He 
promised  to  give  $1,000.  ...  I  have  procured  the 
names  of  some  forty  of  the  Philadelphia  Baptists,  who  are 
more  or  less  able  and  willing  to  give,  and  have  printed  a 
little  note  stating  all  I  would  say  in  an  interview,  and 
promising  to  call  and  hear  the  response.  To-morrow  morn- 
ing I  shall  mail  these  missives,  give  them  twenty-four 
hours  to  do  their  work,  and  the  next  morning  go  to  see 
what  my  bait  has  caught,  or  to  change  my  figure;  how 
my  medicine  has  affected  the  involuntary  patients. 
.  .  .  Till  to-day  I  have  felt  very  bright,  but  to-day 
my  physical  feelings  have  somewhat  affected  my  mental 
feelings.  But  I  do  not  surrender,  and  hope,  with  a  night's 
rest,  to  be  better." 

Five  days  later  he  wrote  to  his  mother: 

"  .  .  .  Once  or  twice  I  have  gotten  very  blue,  but 
for  the  most  part  have  not  time.  I  generally  go  inces- 
santly from  early  mom  till  dark.     ...     I  have  gotten. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       159 

to-day,  several  subscriptions  varying  from  $25  to  $100, 
say  in  all  about  $600,  and  promises  more  or  less  definite. 
I  am  not  elated;  not  discouraged.  I  have  an  idea  that 
some  of  the  Richmond  brethren  expect  too  much  from  the 
I^orth — I  mean  more  than  they  will  get.  I  am  willing  to 
plod  and  toil  on  and  do  the  best  I  can.  If  anybody  else 
will  do  more  or  better,  gladly  will  I  give  way.  The  people, 
specially  the  preachers,  are  very  kind  and  cordial. 
But  for  details  I  must  refer  you  to  the  ^'Travel- 
ler," which  I  spell  with  two  I's  in  compliment  to  you." 

On  February  16th,  1873,  he  wrote  to  his  wife,  from 
Philadelphia : 

"...  During  the  past  week  the  weather  has 
been  (as  it  is  to-day)  the  winterest  and  the  worst  I  ever 
saw,  and  I  have  been,  part  of  the  time,  literally  and 
metaphorically  under  the  weather.  .  .  .  Last  Wed- 
nesday was  a  terribly  stormy  day,  and  I  tramped  the 
streets  of  the  city,  alas !  too,  to  little  purpose.  . 
That  night  I  was  right  sick,  and  had  some  fever,  and  spent 
the  next  half  day  in  bed,  feeling  rather  dreary,  and  fast- 
ing for  twenty-four  hours,  feeling  no  desire  to  eat. 
But  I  am  now  perfectly  well.  Indeed,  if  I  were  not,  I 
should  not  refer  to  the  above. 

^'During  the  past  week  I  attended  the  meetings  of  the 
Missionary  Convention,  and  heard  J.  Wheaton  Smith, 
George  D.  Boardman,  P.  S.  Henson,  Secretary  Gardner, 
of  Boston,  and  others,  speak,  and  Dr.  Fuller  preach.     .     . 

"I  ran  down  to  Crozer  and  called  on  Dr.  Weston,  and 
spent  a  night  with  the  Pendletons,  who  were  very  cordial 
and  kind.  ........ 


160  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

"I  have  secured  about  $2,300  in  Philadelphia,  besides 
getting  a  good  many  promises.  .  .  .  Everything  has 
been  against  me — the  terrible  weather,  the  dullness  of  the 
season,  and  the  two  great  enterprises  now  calling  for  aid 
here,  the  Home  and  the  University  of  Lewisburg.  All 
say  'this  is  the  very  worst  time.'  I  say  'all  times  are  bad 
to  get  money.'     'Yes,  but  this  is  the  worst,'  etc. 

"Yesterday,  after  going  until  dark,  I  crossed  the  Dela- 
ware, and  spent  the  night  with  Brother  Chambliss  in 
Camden.  They  gave  me  an  old  Virginia  welcome,  and  a 
pleasant  warm  chamber,  which  I've  not  been  in  since  I 
left  Staunton.  ...  In  the  night  it  snowed  again, 
and  after  breakfast  began  to  pour  and  the  track  was  al- 
most unbroken,  and  they  tried  to  j^ei-suade  me  not  to 
leave,  but  I  had  promised  to  preach  for  Brethren  Peddie 
and  Henson  to-day,  so  tramped  a  couple  of  miles  through 
snow  and  rain  and  slush.  A  more  terrible  day  I  never 
saw.  Congregations  small  and  solid  men  not  present.  I 
enjoyed  preaching  a  gospel  sermon,  and  have  seldom 
seen  more  weeping  hearers.  Then  I  said  a  few  words,  and 
about  $50  was  handed  me.  .  .  .  It  is  still  pouring, 
and  the  streets  are  almost  impassable.  But  I  shall  go  to 
Henson's  church  and  see." 

From  a  letter  of  six  large  pages  to  his  wife,  dated  New 
York,  February  24th,  1873,  the  following  extracts  are 
taken.  Allusion  is  made  in  this  letter  to  Rev.  Lansing 
Burrows,  at  present  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
Nashville,  Tennessee: 

"I  wrote  last  from  Bordentowoi.  My  day  there  was  a 
sort   of    rest    after   tramping    wearily   the     Philadelphia 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  H.  D.       161 

Streets.  Burrows  and  wife  treated  me  with  great  kind- 
ness.    ...     I   showed   your  likeness   to  Mrs.   B , 

as  I  do  generally  to  the  ladies,  and  she  and  they  all  admire 
it.  .  .  .  Wednesday  p.  m.  Burrows  accompanied  me 
to  Trenton.  .  .  .  Thursday  morning  I  went  to  State 
House,  saw  Governor  Parker,  the  battleground  of  the 
great  Trenton  battle,  the  building  in  which  the  Hessians 
quartered,  etc.  .  .  .  Ere  the  train  came  the  snow  had 
turned  to  a  driving  sleet  and  cold  rain.  It  was  com- 
fortable enough  on  the  cars,  but  what  was  I  to  do  on  reach- 
ing the  city  ?  I  reached  Gotham  in  such  a  storm  as  I  hard- 
ly ever  saw,  and  the  streets  were  almost  impassable,  while 
the  scene  as  vehicles  and  pedestrians  contended  at  the 
crossings  beggars  description.  T  crossed  by  the  proper 
ferry,  yet  not  the  one  I  was  thinking  of,  so  did  not  find 
the  hotel  I  was  purposing  to  put  up  at.  T  quickly  decided 
to  retreat  from  the  pitiless  storm  into  the  first  one  I  could 
find,  and  ran  into  the  !N'ational  on  Courtlandt,  which 
turned  out  to  be  comfortable,  and  to  answer  my  purpose 
well  enough.  For  hours  I  sat  by  the  stove,  drying  and 
warming,  and  thinking  of  little  except  that  I  was  delivered 
from  the  fury  of  the  storm.  .  .  .  Yesterday  was 
bright,  but  fearfully  cold.  Miss  Susan  escorted  me  by 
cars  to  the  First  Church.     It  is  a  large,  fashionable  house, 

but  Dr.  A gave  me  a  warm  greeting,  and  I  felt  at 

home.  I  preached  ex  tempore,  real  protracted  meeting 
style,  and  have  seldom  had  more  evidences  of  appre- 
ciation. After  I  finished,  without  a  break,  I,  in  a  few 
words,  referred  to  the  Memorial  movement.  This  plan 
was    awkward,   but   necessary,   as    baptism     immediately 


162  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

followed.  ...  At  night  I  heard  Mr.  McArthur, 
pastor  at  Calvary,  and  saw  him  baptize.  I  liked  much, 
but  not  the  closing  of  his  prayer  by  the  choir's  chanting 
the  Lord's  prayer.  ...  I  must  press  on  for  the 
present,  though  'tis  peculiarly  hard,  being  anxious  about 
a  sick  family,  and  contending,  in  my  own  delicate  health, 
with  this  terrible  winter.  .  .  .  What  would  I  give 
to  be  at  home !  And  to-day  I  feel  specially  depressed,  not 
being  well,  and  not  knowing  ]irecisely  what  to  do  next. 
But  the  Lord  will  direct." 

This  letter  evidently  went  the  round  to  the  various 
branches  of  the  family,  for  in  the  handwriting  of  Dr. 
Taylor's  mother  at  the  bottom  of  the  sheet  these  words 
appear : 

'^ Tuesday.  This  was  received  to-day.  You  can  send  to 
Charlie.  George  was  appointed  for  Rome  last  night. 
Hope  he  will  not  accept." 

The  following  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  dated  New 
York,  March  5th,  1873,  refers  to  the  same  matter: 

'^  .  .  .  I  was  startled  yesterday  morning  on  re- 
ceiving a  telegram  from  Dr.  Tupper  announcing  my  ap- 
pointment to  Rome.  As  yet  I  have  hardly  been  able  to 
think  of  the  matter.  But  I  wish  solemnly  and  prayerfully 
to  consider  it.  I  write  for  two  things :  I  want  your  views 
on  the  subject.  Of  course,  I  don't  suppose  a  friend  can 
advise  on  such  a  question,  much  less  decide  it,  but  he 
may  help  another  to  look  all  around  it,  and  so  prevent 
partial  and  improper  views." 

As  early  as  1850  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the 
Southern    Baptist    Convention    turned    its    attention    to 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       163 

Europe  as  a  mission  field,  and  thought  of  sending  a  repre- 
sentative to  Switzerland  or  France.  Xothinii',  however, 
was  done.  In  1862  the  Rev.  Dr.  Franklin  Wilson  be- 
came greatly  interested  in  Italy,  and  in  1870  he  spoke 
before  the  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  at  the 
anniversaries  in  Philadelphia,  urging  that  Baptist  litera- 
ture should  be  more  largely  provided  for  European 
countries,  especially,  Italy,  Spain  and  France.  Rev.  Dr. 
James  B.  Taylor,  Secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
of  Richmond,  heard  this  address,  and  was  deeply  im- 
pressed by  it.  He  soon  wrote  to  Dr.  Wilson,  saying  that 
the  Board  was  ready  to  begin  work  in  Italy,  if  the  man 
could  be  found  to  send.  Dr.  Wilson  recommended  Dr. 
W.  N.  Cote,  whose  father,  once  a  priest,  had  subsequt  ntly 
been  connected  with  the  Grand  Ligne  Mission  of  Canada. 
Dr.  Cote,  who  had  been  the  secretary  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
of  France,  having  been  appointed  a  missionary  of  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention,  sailed  on  June  22nd,  being 
instructed  to  establish  a  mission  ^'in  Southern  Europe,  to 
be  located  at  Marseilles  or  Milan  or  Chambery,  or  such 
other  point  as  shall,  after  investigation,  be  considered  the 
most  advisable."  On  September  20th,  1870,  Victor 
Emmanuel  entered  Rome,  through  a  breach  in  the  walls,  at 
Porta  Pia ;  the  temporal  power  of  the  pope  was  at  an  end, 
and  the  Eternal  City  was  open.  More  than  one  Protes- 
tant missionary  began  work  in  Rome,  Dr.  Cote  among  the 
number.  At  first  great  success  seemed  to  attend  the  work 
of  the  Southern  Baptists  in  Rome.  Many  were  received 
into  the  church.  Troubles,  however,  soon  came.  Not  a 
few  had  been  attracted  by  the  hope  of  the  '^loaves  and 


164  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

fishes,"  aud  some  were  rejoicing  in  the  new  political 
freedom  which  had  come  to  them,  rather  than  in  '^the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free."  There  were 
other  complications,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  B.  Jeter  was 
sent  out  as  a  special  commissioner  to  meet  the  emergency, 
and  to  purchase  property  for  a  meeting-house  in  Rome. 
In  the  meanwhile  the  idea  of  a  mission  in  Rom(^  aroused 
great  enthusiasm  and  interest  in  the  home  churches.  It 
was  determined  that  $20,000  be  raised  for  a  chapel  in 
Rome,  and  Dr.  George  C.  Lorimer  was  appointed  as  mis- 
sionary of  the  Board  to  Rome.  Dr.  Lorimer,  having  de- 
clined to  accept  the  position,  on  March  3rd  the  Board  ap- 
pointed George  B.  Taylor.  Concerning  the  appointment 
the  Board  said  in  their  annual  report : 

'^The  practical  sagacity,  the  broad  cultivation,  the  ele- 
vated character,  and  missionary  spirit  of  this  brother, 
render  him,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board,  eminently 
qualified  for  succession  to  the  troubled  things  at  Rome, 
for  training  native  preachers,  and  undisciplined  churches, 
and  for  pressing  forward  the  work  of  the  Lord  by  the 
pulpit  and  press,  and  by  his  personal  consecration  to  the 
holy  cause." 

On  March  27th,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote,  from  Staunton,  to 
his  mother,  saying  in  part: 

"I  write  just  a  line  to  say  that  1  reached  home  yester- 
day (\Yednesday),  and  found  George  very  sick  with 
pneumonia.  Both  physicians  were  in  at  dark  (Dr.  Wad- 
delFs  third  visit  for  the  day),  and  think  the  case  very 
serious.  Mrs.  Hill  and  Annie  sat  up  last  night.  I  can- 
not help  hoping  he  is  a  little  better  this  morning.      Sue 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       165 

does  not  think  so.  God  reigns.  George  has  been  delirious 
much  of  the  time,  but  is  not  now.  He  was  very  anxious 
for  my  return,  and  made  very  happy  by  it,  I  would 
write  more,  but  he  does  not  like  me  to  leave  him  for  a 
minute." 

[N'ot  long  after  writing  this  letter  Dr.  Taylor  decided 
not  only  to  accept  the  appointment  to  Rome,  but  also  to 
comply  with  the  request  of  the  Board  and  leave  for  his 
new  field  at  an  early  date.  Mrs.  Taylor  had  not  been  in 
favor  of  going  to  Eome,  thinking  it  a  hazardous  under- 
taking for  a  man  in  middle  life,  not  very  strong  in  body^ 
and  with  four  young  children.  She  was,  however,  most 
loyal  to  her  husband  and  to  his  conviction  in  the  matter. 
When  once  he  had  made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  his  duty 
to  go  to  Rome,  she  accepted  the  decision  most  cordially, 
giving  evidence  at  this  critical  time,  and  in  all  the  years 
that  followed,  by  a  most  brave  and  cheerful  spirit,  of  how 
true  and  strong  was  her  faith  in  her  Saviour. 

On  April  11th,  1873,  he  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles: 

"On  some  accounts  leaving  so  soon  and  suddenly  is  a 
trial.  Still,  when  I  have  an  arduous  work  ahead  I  like 
to  get  at  it.  Everything  has  worked  pretty  well.  People 
very  affectionate,  and  ready  to  help  Susan.  In  the  main 
my  feelings  have  been  calm  and  peaceful.  To-day  I  am 
just  a  little  depressed  from  physical  causes.  .  . 
My  sale  is  on  the  27th.  I  shall  not  be  here.  .  .  . 
Have  studied  Italian.  Would  have  made  much  progress, 
but  for  being  so  busy." 

After  Dr.  Taylor  had  made  all  his  arrangements  for 
an  early  departure   for  Italy,  the   Board   requested  him 


166  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

to  postpone  his  going  until  Dr.  Jeter,  who  had  been  sum- 
moned home,  should  arrive.  So  he  attended  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  in  Mobile  and  the  June  meeting  in 
Kichmond.  On  June  5th  he  writes  to  his  brother  Charles, 
from  Richmond: 

"...  You  will  see  by  the  papers,  and  would 
have  seen  still  more  had  you  been  present,  that  I  have 
lately  been  made  more  of  than  ever  before  in  my  life. 
This  is,  I  think,  in  part  a  manifestation  of  affectionate 
regard  of  the  existence  of  which  I  had  been  ignorant, 
and,  of  course,  is  in  part  the  expression  of  interest  in  the 
mission  I  have  undertaken.  I  have  been  astonished  and 
overwhelmed.  In  part  it  has  been  painful,  I  do  so  shrink 
from  being  lionized  or  put  forward,  specially  as  I  feel 
very  small  and  unworthy,  God  is  my  witness;  but  then 
on  the  other  hand  it  is  sweet  to  have  assurance  that  so 
many  will  invoke  on  me  His  favor,  who  can  and  who 
alone  can  make  me  blessed,  and  my  work  a  success.  And 
I  trust  the  kindness  shown  me  by  my  brethren  will  only 
humble  me,  and  cause  me  to  seek  to  be  more  worthy  of 
that  kindness.  ...  It  comes  over  me  sometimes,  very 
affectingly,  what  an  undertaking  it  is  to  remove  such  a 
family  as  mine  so  far.  But  I  trust  we  shall  be  able  to 
meet  all  that  is  before  us.  .  .  .  Do  you  know  that 
I  am  also  to  have  two  young  ladies  under  my  care  as  far 
as  the  Continent — a  Miss  Kerfoot,  and  a  Miss  Archer  of 
Petersburg,  the  last  going  to  study  music  in  Germany 
for  two  years?" 

Farewell  was  said  to  the  loved  ones  in  Richmond,  and, 
as  the  train  passed  northward,  they  standing  on  the  porch 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       167 

of  the  home  on  West  Franklin  Street  (in  those  days  there 
were  no  buildings  between  Franklin  Street  and  the  R. 
F.  &  P.  track)  waved  to  the  little  party  starting  for 
Rome.  Dr.  Moses  D.  Hoge  was  on  the  train,  and  a  few 
years  later,  at  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Taylor's  mother,  referred 
most  tenderly  to  this  scene.  From  Fredericksburg,  where 
a  day  was  spent  to  say  good-bye  to  the  loved  ones  there, 
Dr.  Taylor,  on  June  14th,  1873,  wrote  to  his  mother: 

"...  My  heart  was  in  my  throat  when  we  waved 
to  each  other,  and  Dr.  Hoge,  who  was  sitting  by  me,  deli- 
cately left  me.  I  had  some  pleasant  chats  with  him,  and 
he  said  some  kind  things  of  me,  and  of  my  mission. 
.  .  .  I  find  several  excellent  letters  of  introduction, 
and  one  of  suggestions  from  Brother  John  A.  Broadus. 
He  is  very  kind." 

On  June  18th,  1873,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  with  their 
four  children,  the  youngest  an  infant  in  arms,  sailed  from 
^NTew  York  on  the  steamship  Columbia,  of  the  "Anchor 
Line,"  for  Glasgow,  en  route  for  Rome. 


CHAPTER  VI 

First  Years  in  Rome  —  The  Rome  Chapel 

I  AM  in  Rome !  .  .  .         . 

A  thousand  busy  thoughts 
Rush  on  my  mind,  a  thousand  images, 
And  I  spring  up  as  girt  to  run  a  race. 

— Rogers. 

"  Behold  this  temple  to  Thy  praise. 
Make  it  Thy  very  own  ; 
Here  knit  our  waiting  souls  in  one 
And  bind  us  to  Thy  throne." 


The  ^' Columbia''  proved  herself  a  safe  but  a  very 
slow  boat.  Fourteen  long  days  passed  before  Glasgow 
was  reached ;  fourteen  very  trying  days  for  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Taylor!  She,  although  suffering  terribly  from  sea-sick- 
ness, in  a  very  small  stateroom  had  almost  all  the  care 
of  the  baby,  since  the  nurse  was  sick  and  helpless.  Be- 
sides the  baby  there  were  two  other  little  children.  Much 
of  the  time  no  small  storm  lay  on  the  ship.  In  the  next 
stateroom  there  was,  one  night,  a  sudden  death,  and  other 
minor  events  calculated  to  depress  were  not  wanting.  As 
for  Dr.  Taylor,  anxiety  for  the  whole  party  was  upon 
him,  and  he  was  caring  now  for  one  and  now  for  another, 
ever  most  patient,  cheerful  and  sympathetic. 

The  few  days  in  Scotland  were  as  pleasant  as  the  days 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       169 

on  the  Atlantic  had  been  the  reverse.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  any  other  entrance  to  Europe  is  more  charming, 
for  an  American,  than  through  the  gateway  of  the  Giant's 
Causeway,  the  Clyde,  Glasgow  and  Edinburgh.  Mrs. 
Taylor,  from  her  earliest  childhood,  had  kno^vni  and  loved 
Scott's  works,  and  so  Scotland,  and  her  keen  appreciation 
and  enjoyment  of  Edinburgh  was  inspiring  to  all  the 
little  party.  After  some  days  in  London,  Dr.  Taylor 
went  on  to  Italy  to  acquaint  himself  at  once  with  the 
situation  there.  Mrs.  Taylor  and  the  children  spent  the 
six  weeks  of  his  absence  in  an  apartment  of  St.  John's 
Wood  Road,  some  five  minutes'  walk  from  Regent's 
Park.  The  children  found  Regent's  Park  most  delight- 
ful, and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Angus,  at  the  Regent's  Park 
College,  were  so  hospitable  and  so  kind  in  many  ways 
that  they  and  their  beautiful  English  home  will  ever  be 
most  gratefully  remembered. 

Upon  Dr.  Taylor's  return,  the  family  took  up  its 
journey  towards  Italy.  It  was  too  warm  to  go  to  Rome, 
and  no  place  altogether  satisfactory  could  be  secured  in 
Switzerland.  Tnexpectedly  most  pleasant  quarters,  at 
very  moderate  figures,  were  found  in  the  little  French 
city  of  Dijon  in  the  famous  Cote  d'  Or.  Here,  in  an 
annex  of  the  Hotel  du  Jura,  near  the  edge  of  the  town, 
two  weeks  were  most  delightfully  spent.  They  were 
almost  the  only  folks  in  the  new  and  comfortable  establish- 
ment, and  the  dainty  French  cooking  was  most  thoroughly 
enjoyed.  Every  morning  study,  letters,  lessons,  reading, 
were  the  order  of  the  day,  and  then  in  the  afternoon  came 
expeditions  through  the  quaint  streets,  and  public  gardens 


170  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

of  the  town,  and  walks  and  drives  out  into  the  country, 
then  in  the  full  glory  of  the  vintage.  What  a  load  of 
anxiety  and  care  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  must  have  had 
upon  them,  yet  they  kept  a  brave  and  cheerful  spirit 
and  made  their  children  very  happy!  With  Chambery, 
Turin,  Piacenza  and  Florence  as  stopping  places,  finally 
Rome  was  reached,  October  18th.  Of  these  months  of 
travel  towards  Rome  only  one  letter  has  been  found. 

This  letter  from  London  is  dated  18  North  Bank,  July 
20th,  1873: 

^'I  had  not  expected  to  be  in  London  to-day.  I  was 
detained  sight-seeing  with  my  party,  and  delivering  letters 
of  introduction,  and  seeing  persons  in  the  interest  of  the 
Italian  Mission,  but  chiefly  to  hear  from  the  Continent 
touching  a  permanent  residence  for  my  family,  while  I 
should  go  to  Rome.  When  at  last  the  expected  letter 
came  from  Geneva,  it  was  unfavorable,  and  having  be- 
come in  the  meanwhile  much  pleased  with  present 
quarters  I  decided  to  leave  my  family  ...  at  this 
place.  .  .  .  The  girls  and  T  were  to  start  for  Paris 
Saturday,  but  on  reaching  home  Friday  p.  m.  I  found 
the  baby  so  sick  I  decided  not  to  go.  I  had  called  on  Dr. 
Angus,  President  of  Regent's  Park  College,  .  .  .  and, 
though  failing  to  see  him,  had  received  a  very  polite  note 
inviting  me  to  meet  socially  at  the  college  a  committee 
of  gentlemen  on  revision.  So  I  now  decided,  as  we  re- 
quired a  physician,  to  get  Dr.  Angus  to  recommend  one. 
His  note  in  reply  was  very  sympathetic,  and  mentioned  a 
homoeopathist   {whom  he  employed),  and  an  allopathist. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       I7l 

I  went  for  the  latter,  Dr.  Holland,  Lichfield  Terrace, 
who  came  promptly,  and  has  been  in  each  day  since. 
His  charge  for  three  visits,  half  a  guinea,  made 
low  doubtless  under  the  circumstances.  Mrs.  Angus 
called  yesterday  to  offer  sympathy,  and  aid  if  required. 
.  .  .  You  remember  Mrs.  Roberts  urged  us  to  go  to 
hear  Dr.  Vaughan,  Master  of  the  Temple.  ...  I 
decided  to  go.  .  .  .  George  and  the  girls  went  to 
Westminster  Abbey,  and  Mary  Page  and  I  proceeded 
to  the  Temple.  We  took  the  ^letropolitan  railroad  to 
King's  Cross,  and  walked  a  mile  from  that  point,  down 
Gray's  Inn  Road,  Chanery  Lane,  and  into  Fleet  Street 
right  at  the  building  used  as  a  palace  by  Henry  VTII, 
and  Cardinal  Wolsey.  .  .  .  The  large,  handsome 
building  was  rapidly  filling,  mostly  with  men.  I  was 
directed  to  take  a  seat  in  the  rear,  but  when  I  told  the 
verger  I  was  a  minister  from  America  I  was  told  to  go 
up  higher  and  seat  Mary  on  the  altar  cushion,  females 
it  seemed  not  being  allowed  in  the  body  of  the  house. 

''While  waiting  for  the  service  to  begin,  I,  as  usual, 
looked  over  the  hymn-book  and  found  some  very  sweet 
hymns,  one  of  which  I  copied,  and  is  as  follows : 

1. 

No,  not  despairingly 

Come  I  to  Thee! 
No,  not  distrustingly 

Bend  I  the  knee. 
Sin  hath  gone  over  me, 
Yet  this  still  is  my  plea — 

Jesus  hath  died. 


172  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

2. 

Ah,  mine  iniquity 

Crimson  hath  been, 
Infinite,   infinite, 

Sin  upon  sin! 
Sin  of  not  loving  Thee, 
Sin  of  not  trusting  Thee, 

Infinite  sin. 

3. 

Lord,  I  confess  to  Thee 

Sadly  my  sin ; 
All  I  am,  tell  I  Thee, 

All  I  have  been; 
Purge  Thou  my  sin  away, 
Wash  Thou  my  soul  this  day, 

Lord,  make  me  clean. 

4. 
Faithful  and  just  Thou  art, 

Forgiving  all : 
Loving  and  kind  art  Thou, 

When  poor  ones  call ; 
Lord,  let  Thy  cleansing  blood, 
Blood  of  the  Lamb  of  Gk)d, 

Pass  o'er  my  soul. 

5. 
Then  all  is  peace  and  light. 

This  soul  within; 
Thus  shall  I  walk  with  Thee, 

The  loved  unseen  ; 
Leaning  on  Thee,  my  God, 
Guided  along  the  road. 

Nothing  between. 

I  make  no  comment  on  the  lines.  They  may  be  not 
remarkable  any  way,  but  they  affected  me.  .  .  .  The 
music  was  the  best  London  affords,  in  the  Westminster 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARD MA^'  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       173 

and  St.  Paul's  style,  and  the  service  occupied  one  hour 
and  forty  minutes  before  the  sermon  began.  I  confess 
I  begrudged  so  much  from  the  sermon,  which  was  but 
thirty-five  minutes  in  length,  and  to  my  taste  might  have 
been  much  longer.  But  the  audience,  men  though  they 
were,  and  of  the  more  cultivated  class,  evidently  came 
mainly  to  hear  the  music,  and  paid,  I  thought,  but  little 
attention  to  the  sermon,  to  which  I  listened  with  eager 
interest.  Text,  Luke  xii:  50,  'I  have  a  baptism  to  be 
baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  straitened,'  etc.  The  ser- 
mon was  an  excellent  one.  .  .  .  Among  other  good 
things  the  Master  of  the  Temple  said  that  by  baptism 
here  we  must  understand  immersion,  and  quoted  that 
passage  from  the  Psalms,  'the  waters  are  gone  over  me,' 
etc.  As  I  emerged  from  the  Temple  court,  and  hailed 
an  omnibus,  I  saw  on  the  top  a  gentleman  whom  I  at 
once  knew  to  be  an  xlmerican,  and  suspected  to  be  a 
clergyman.  We  soon  fell  into  a  conversation,  for  Mary 
and  I  climbed  up,  and  I  found  he  was  a  clergyman  from 
Detroit.  He  had  been  to  hear  Spurgeon.  I  reported 
myself  as  a  minister,  and  was  about  to  tell  my  denomi- 
nation, and  ask  his,  when  it  occurred  to  me  to  preserve 
my  'incog,'  and  repeat  the  utterance  of  Dr.  Vaughan  on 
the  act  of  baptism.  I  did  so,  and  my  acquaintance  seemed 
nonplussed  and  said :  'Did  he  say  that  ?  It  is  very  re- 
markable.' 'Yes,'  said  I,  'he  said  that,  and  Conybeare 
and  Howson,  and  in  fact  all  the  scholars  of  England  and 
Germany  say  the  same  when  they  are  interpreting,  and 
not  in  controversy.'  "  This  letter,  finished  in  Paris,  July 
22nd,  1873,  says  further:  "Last  evening  at  8  o'clock    the 


174  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

girls  and  I  left  London.  ...  I  shall  hasten  on  to 
Italy.  I  hope  to  meet  Dr.  Cote  in  Turin,  and  proceed 
to  visit  our  stations,  and  evangelists  in  Northern  Italy.'' 

At  various  times  in  his  life  Dr.  Taylor  kept  a  diary, 
but  only  one  or  two  of  these  volumes  survive,  he  having 
burned  some  of  them.  In  a  letter  to  his  brother,  written 
soon  after  reaching  Rome,  he  gives  a  number  of  pages 
from  his  diary.  Gioja,  to  whom  reference  is  made,  had 
been  baptized  March  21st,  1872,  by  Dr.  Cote,  in  the  Tiber, 
Dr.  H.  H.  Tucker,  of  Georgia,  being  present,  and  later  or- 
dained, the  presbytery  consisting  of  Dr.  Cote,  Dr.  M.  T. 
Yates,  of  China,  and  Dr.  George  W.  Anderson.  Gioja  had 
given  very  serious  trouble,  and,  before  Dr.  Taylor's  arrival 
in  Rome,  had  been  dismissed  by  the  Board. 

'^On  October  the  18th  we  came  from  Florence,  where 
we  had  been  detained  by  Susy's  illness,  to  this  city. 
.  .  .  As  we  neared  the  Eternal  City,  after  a  pleasant 
journey,  we  witnessed  a  resplendent  sunset.  We  could 
not  forbear  the  hope  that  the  clouded  sunrise  and  golden 
setting  might  prove  a  happy  omen.  By  the  setting  sun 
I  read  in  Italian  Ps.  c.  The  station  in  Rome  was  crowded 
with  passengers,  arriving  by  our  train,  and  for  some 
minutes  we  were  detained  to  undergo  the  fumigation  now 
inflicted  upon  travellers  into  Italy  as  a  sanitary  pre- 
caution. We  found  it  suffocating,  but  we  had  passed 
through  the  same  experience  on  our  never-to-be-forgotten 
arrival  in  Piacenza.  ...  In  a  few  minutes  we  had 
driven  to  the  humble  pension  provided  for  us,  3rd  piano, 
68  Via  Babuino,  and  after  the  usual  contest  with  cabby 
and  porter,  this  time  happily  conducted  by  the  landlord. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       176 

we  found  ourselves  quietly  settled,  for  a  few  days  at  least, 
in  our  apartment. 

'^The  19th  was  the  Lord's  day.  Dr.  Cote  called  early 
and  summoned  me  to  a  walk.  He  had  bad  news  from 
America.  I  trembled.  I  thought  it  was  the  death  of 
my  sister.  It  proved  to  be  his  final  dismission  from  the 
service  of  the  Board.  He  was  much  distressed. 
I  felt,  also,  deepest  sympathy  for  him.  ...  I  tried 
to  comfort  him  and  tried  to  stand  by  him.  .  .  .  On 
going  to  the  banker^s  I  received  letters  from  Dr.  Tupper, 

and    sister  J ;    the    former    quite  depressing    to  my 

feelings.       It  referred    to  the    great  financial    pressure. 

Being  pressed  for  time.  Dr.  C and  G 

and  I  rode  to  the  Trastevere,  and  attended  the  service  in 
our  little  hall.     We  left  about  sixty  children  eating  their 

macaroni     soup.     ...     At     night     G and     Dr. 

C and  I  again  rode  to  the  Trastevere.     While  Dr. 

C was   preaching   we   were    rudely    interrupted   by 

rowdies,  whom  Dr.  C thinks  the  priests  sent.     For  a 

time  all  was  confusion,  but  we  rallied  and  had  a  good 
meeting.  The  singing  specially  is  fine.  I  said  a  few 
words,  which  were  interpreted. 

^'October    20th.     .     .     .     G ,    Dr.    C and    I 

walked  to  Trastevere.  Again  we  were  disturbed,  stones 
being  thrown  into  the  girls'  school  room. 

^^October  21st.  ...  At  night  at  Trastevere. 
Awake  nearly  all  night ;  mind  careful  and  troubled  about 
many  things.     ... 

^'October  22nd.  Physically  and  mentally  depressed. 
Wrote  to  Dr.  Tupper,  asking  three  months'  notice  for  Dr. 


176  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Cote.  Received  a  letter  from  Gioja.  Looked  at  apart- 
ments; have  so  far  found  none  v^ithin  mj  means,  the 
lowest  being  400  lire  or  $80  per  month!  ...  At 
night  busy  on  mission  accounts,  and  writing  to  Dr.  Tupper. 

''October  23rd.  Before  breakfast,  wrote  the  following 
letter  to  Gioja:  'Dear  sir:  Your  letter  asking  my  advice 
is  received,  and  I  am  sorry  to  write  an  unsatisfactory 
reply,  but  stranger  as  I  am  to  you,  and  also  a  new-comer 
to  Italy,  I  do  not  feel  competent  to  advise  you.  I  can, 
however,  refer  you  to  James  i:  5.  Whoever  truly  waits 
on  God  will  find  direction.  You  also  offer  your  services 
as  a  teacher  of  French  and  Italian,  but  I  am  not  at  present 
expecting  to  employ  a  teacher.  Very  resp'ly.'  . 
I  now  see  very  clearly  what  has  for  some  time  been  dawn- 
ing on  me,  that  to  live  on  the  income  assigned  me,  and 
which  I  thought  even  too  liberal,  will  require  the  most 

stringent    economy.     .     .     .     After  dinner    took  G 

and  Mrs.  T to  Colosseum.    In  the  evening  Dr.  C 

came.  .  .  .  He  had  been  apartment-hunting  for  me 
all  day,  and  desponded  of  getting  what  we  need  at  prices 
which  we  had  hoped.  .  .  .  Our  large  trunk  shipped 
from  London,  per  petite  vitesse,  about  six  weeks  ago, 
has  not  yet  arrived.  We  need  its  contents  and,  moreover, 
I  can't  help  feeling  uneasy  about  it. 

"October  24th.  Dr.  Cote  called,  and  we  had  a  long, 
important  conversation  upon  our  work  in  Italy.  Grave 
difficulties  still  exist,  and  embarrassing  problems  are  yet  to 
be  solved.  God  alone  can  help.  To  Him  I  must  look. 
Accompanied  by  Dr.  Cote  went  to  11  Quattro 
Fontane  and  engaged  the  4th  piano  [corresponding  to  the 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       177 

fifth  floor  in  an  American  house]  for  eight  months  at 
325  lire  per  month.  The  sum  is  more  than  I  can  afford, 
but  it  is  less  than  I  had  been  told  by  all  I  must  pay ;  and, 
while  high  up,  they  combine  more  of  the  advantages  which 
I  esteem,  such  as  healthfulncss,  privacy,  pleasant  English- 
speaking  landlord,  than  any  I  have  seen.  .  .  .  Imme- 
diately after  dinner  called  on  Mr.  Wall,  and  had  a  long, 
pleasant  interview  with  him.  In  1863  he  came  to  Italy 
as  the  result  of  a  letter  in  the  Londan  Freeman,  from  my 
loved  friend,  now  in  glory,  Brother  John  Berg. 

''October  25th.  .  .  .  We  then  engaged  dinner  to 
be  sent  from  restaurant,  three  portions  at  three  francs  each, 
which  it  is  hoped  will  suffice,  with  some  slight  supple- 
menting, for  my  family.  My  hope  is  to  live  on  900  lire 
per  month,  but  it  will  require  the  greatest  economy,  and 
leave  little  margin  for  books,  tuition,  and  unforeseen 
expenses.  But  I  will  do  my  best  and  trust  the  Lord. 
After  dinner  I  went  to  the  bank  and  placed  725  lire  to  my 
individual  credit.  This  overdraws  my  account  as  agent 
of  Board.  I  cannot  help  feeling  anxiety.  I  need  my 
salary,  past  due,  and  the  evangelists  will  soon  need  theirs, 
and  there  are  no  funds,  and,  so  far  as  I  know,  no  imme- 
diate prospect  of  any.  .  .  .  We  all  also  were  initiated 
into  the  mysteries  of  a  Roman  kitchen,  and  contrivance 
for  drawing  water  from  the  well  in  the  court  below.  For 
the  present,  at  least,  Sue  and  Sarah  will  prepare  what  is 
necessary  for  our  morning  and  evening  meal. 
Bought  for  five  soldi  a  bundle  of  mere  twigs,  and  made  a 
cheerful  blast  in  our  only  fireplace. 

''Lord's  Day,  October  26th.     Attended  the  Trastevere 


178  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

with  George,  going  through  a  rain.     Arriving  before  Dr. 

C ,  who  was  detained    and  who  I  supposed  to  be  sick, 

I  conducted  the  Bible  class  of  youths.  Of  course  it  was 
miserably  done,  and  I  was  quite  willing  to  resign  to  Dr. 
C when  he  arrived.     About  fifty  present. 

^'October  30th.  Commenced  regularly  to  hear  George 
his  lessons,  for  the  present  only  algebra  and  Italian. 
.  .  .  During  the  morning  rain  fell  more  solidly  and 
continuously  than  1  have  ever  seen  it,  accompanied  by 
thunder  and  lightning.  .  .  .  Devoted  the  a.  m.  to 
Italian  grammar  and  reading  Italian,  'Promessi  Sposi' 
[Manzoni's  gi-eat  novel],  and  p.  m.  to  hearing  letters  from 
evangelists,  and  reading  Italian  aloud  for  criticism.  Also 
went  out  at  five  and  bought  supplies.  I  buy  generally 
from  Italian  stores  in  preference.  .  .  .  We  often 
have  kid  for  dinner.  In  Florence  I  suspected  a  piece  of 
meat  to  be  that  and  inquired  of  the  waiter  was  that  mutton. 
^No,'  he  replied,  proud  of  his  English,  'dat  de  son  of  de 
mutton'  (lamb).     The  boarders  had  a  merry  laugh." 

The  picture  of  the  early  days  in  Rome  is  yet  further 
described  in  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  dated  IN^ovem- 
ber  10th,  1873: 

^^  .  .  .  I  am  busier  than  ever  before,  and  though 
sometimes  overburdened  with  anxiety,  I  find  the  days 
flying  by  only  too  swiftly.  My  mornings  I  spend  in  my 
study,  going  over  mission  accounts,  writing  to  the  evange- 
lists, reading  the  piles  of  letters  from  them  which  have 
accumulated  during  the  summer,  working  away  at  Italian, 
mostly  alone,  but  with  what  aid  I  need  from  Dr.  Cote. 
.     .     .     I  of  course  pay  some  attention  to  the  grammar. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       179 

but  my  main  object  now  is  to  get  a  vocabulary,  and  catch 
the  pronunciation,  which  last  seems  to  me  to  constitute  one 
of  the  chief  difficulties  of  the  language.  To  these  ends 
I  read  aloud  a  good  deal,  not  only  in  classic  Italian,  but 
in  the  Bible,  and  in  'Pilgrim's  Progress.'  .  .  .  The 
afternoon  I  often  spend  in  the  same  way,  as  we  have  a 
deal  of  dark,  rainy  weather,  giving  me  the  solidos  dies  that 
Horace  speaks  of,  and  which  are  so  grand  for  the  student. 
Sometimes  I  walk  a  little  to  get  a  general  idea  of  localities. 
As  for  sight-seeing,  I  reserve  that  until  I  am  less  pressed, 
and  feeling  there  will  be  opportunity  enough  for  that 
hereafter.  .  .  .  After  an  early  tea  I  generally  go  to 
the  Trastevere.  This  gives  me  quite  enough  exercise,  and 
I  can  do  more  than  the  old  line  calls  for,  ^after  supper 
walk  a  mile,'  as  going  and  returning  involves  a  walk  of 
not  less  than  five  miles,  and  that,  too,  over  very  rough 
pavements,  and  I  generally  come  back  hardly  able  to 
climb  my  four  flights  of  stairs.  The  necessity  of  spend- 
ing my  evenings  thus  is  one  of  the  most  serious  sacrifices 
of  personal  ease  I  am  now  called  to  make,  as  it  has  been 
for  some  time  my  cherished  and  growing  fancy  to  do  all 
needed  work  during  the  day,  and  have  my  quiet  evenings 
with  my  family  at  home. 

"I,  however,  enjoy  attending  the  school.  It  is  strictly 
an  evangelical  school,  and  all  the  more  important  as  a 
missionary  agency,  because  it  not  only  gives  great  promi- 
nence to  the  gospel  instruction,  but  reaches  those  who  have 
to  work  all  day  and  have  few  other  opportunities  for 
either  secular  or  religious  education.  By  the  older 
scholars    the  evening  is  spent  almost  exclusively  in  read- 


180  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ing  and  talking  over  a  chapter  in  the  Bible.  ...  At 
the  end  of  an  hour  the  entire  school  is  called  together 
and  catechised  and  lectured,  and  then  comes  the  cream  of 
the  evening — the  singing.  .  .  .  This  singing  is  a 
fine  advertisement,  and  is  a  substitute  for  a  bell ;  and 
at  this  stage  numbers  of  adults,  attracted  by  the  ringing 
voices  of  the  children,  gather  in  near  the  door,  and  there 
is  a  chance  to  give  them  a  few  words  of  truth  at  the  close. 
Now  all  this  occurs  in  a  most  repulsive  and,  I  suppose,  un- 
healthful  hall,  and  one  that  would  utterly  disgust  many 
of  our  good  folks  at  home ;  but  it  is  nothing  against  the 
school,  indeed,  rather  to  its  credit,  that  it  flourishes  so 
well  under  circumstances  so  unfavorable.  Oh,  what  would 
I  give  for  a  really  good  hall,  such  as  T  can  see  with  my 
mind's  eye,  fitted  up  with  all  needed  appliances !  .  .  . 
It  is  not  altogether  pleasant  going  to  the  Trastevere  at 
night.  It  is  notoriously  the  worst  ward  in  Eome,  and 
some  say  corresponds  to  the  Seven  Dials  in  London,  and 
the  Five  Points  in  l^ew  York.  Disorders  are  very  common 
there.  Only  a  few  days  before  I  began  to  attend  the 
school  a  man  was  assassinated  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
the  man  from  w^hom  we  rent  the  hall  is  at  this  time  in 
prison  awaiting  trial  for  homicide.  ...  I  men- 
tioned in  my  last  that  for  several  successive  evenings  our 
services  were  rudely  interrupted,  at  the  instigation,  it  was 
believed,  of  the  priests.  I  am  happy  to  say  we  have  not 
been  molested  since.  The  police  keep  pretty  near  the 
hall,  and  we  are  accustomed  every  night  to  stop  and  have 
a  few  pleasant  words  with  them.     .     .     . 

"I  have  heard  intimations  that  there  has  not   always 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       181 

been  in  the  past  the  most  perfect  accord  among  Protestant 
Christians  laboring  in  Rome.  I  do  not  know  how  that  is. 
At  this  time  there  seems  no  lack  of  good  feeling.  It  is 
certain  there  is  room  enough  and  work  enough  for  all ; 
and  I  thank  God  that  while  I  am  a  most  thorough-going 
and  earnest  Baptist,  I  can  and  do  rejoice  in  good  done 
anywhere  by  any  one.  Moreover,  I  feel,  for  my  own 
part,  so  pressed  with  work  that  I  do  not  expect  to  have 
time  to  quarrel,  even  if  there  should  ever  be  any  tempta- 
tion to  that,  which  I  trust  there  will  not  be. 

"For  a  few  days  there  has  been  some  excitement  in  the 
city  on  account  of  the  breaking  out  of  cholera.  I  do 
not  feel  any  special  apprehension.  You  have  probably 
heard  that  I  had  a  bilious  attack  after  reaching  here.  I 
have  not  been  very  well  since.  In  fact,  all  of  us  have  been 
rather  drooping." 

The  next  letter,  to  Mrs.  Sally  Slaughter  and  Mrs. 
Eannie  Ficklin,  Mrs.  Taylor's  sisters,  is  made  up  almost 
entirely  of  extracts  from  Mr.  Taylor's  diary.  Several  allu- 
sions need  a  word  of  explanation.  Hon.  G.  P.  Marsh  was 
the  American  Minister  to  Italy.  Rev.  Mr.  R.  J.  ^evin,  a 
few  years  after  this,  built  the  American  Episcopal  Church 
on  Via  Nazionale,  Rome.  Mr.  Franklin  Simmons,  an 
American  sculptor,  designed  the  Roger  Williams  statue  in 
Providence  and  the  Sailors  and  Soldiers  Monument  at  the 
west  front  of  the  Capitol,  Washington.  Rev.  G.  J.  Hob- 
day was  for  some  years  the  superintendent  of  the  Baptist 
Orphanage  of  Virginia.  Dr.  Albert  Snead  was  for  many 
years  a  leading  physician  in  Richmond,  Va.,  and  Col. 
John  B.  Baldwin    a  prominent  lawyer  in  Staunton,  Va. 


182  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OP^ 

"...  November  11th.  ...  In  the  p.  m. 
called  on  Hon.  G.  P.  Marsh,  two  American  sculptors  and 
Rev.  Mr.  I^evin  (American  Episcopal),  to  all  of  whom  I 
have  letters ;  but  found  none  of  them  in.  .  .  .  But  in 
Mr.  Simmons'  studio  was  much  interested  in  looking  at 
the  work  in  progress,  and  was  somewhat  initiated  into  the 
mysteries  of  a  sculptor's  studio.     .     .     . 

"November  12th.  ...  At  night  attended  school 
in  Trastevere.  Very  interesting.  I  told  the  young  people 
through  an  interpreter  about  my  conversion.  They  always 
laugh  furiously  at  my  English,  but  on  this  occasion 
seemed  much  impressed  by  my  words  when  translated  to 
them.     .     . 

"November  15th.  .  .  .  Replied  also  to  letter  of 
Brother  Hobday,  Greenville,  S.  C,  and  wrote  to  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  Inquiry  at  S.  B.  T.  S.  .  .  .  The 
streets  to-day  are  thickly  hung  v/ith  national  flags,  almost 

every  house  having  one.    Even  G and  M went  to 

work  to  construct  one.  Wrote  to  Brother  R.  H.  Graves 
of  Canton,  China,  who  had  written  me  a  most  kind  letter. 
.  Rather  disturbed,  getting  letter  from  Gioja  ask- 
ins:  another  interview.  .  .  .  Sue  and  the  children 
attended  at  the  American  Union  Church,  hearing  Dr. 
Hiscock  of  New  York  preach.  .  .  .  In  p.  m.  enjoyed 
a  call  from  Rev.  Mr.  Birrell  of  Liverpool. 

"November  I7th.  .  .  .  At  5  p.  m.  Gioja  came,  told 
his  troubles,  expressed  penitence  for  the  past,  and  earnest- 
ly begged  an  appointment  as  evangelist.  Of  course  there 
was  but  one  answer,  but  I  tried  to  give  him  good  counsel, 
and  prayed  with  him.     ...     At  six  George  and  I  went 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       183 

to  Trastevere,  eating  our  supper  as  we  went.  To-day 
wintry.     .     .     . 

^'November  18th.  A  bright,  bracing,  cold  day.  If  we 
only  had  good  firing  facilities  we  might  be  comfortable. 
As  it  is  !  In  p.  m.  took  S.,  G.,  M.  P.,  and  Spots- 
wood  a  walk  to  railroad  station,  then  to  summit  of  Esqui- 
line,  where  we  had  a  fine  view  of  some  excavations  of  the 
ancient  city  as  well  as  of  the  Campagna  and  mountains, 
and  returned  through  the  Basilica  of  St.  Maria  Maggiore, 
almost  a  rival  of  St.  Peter's.     .     . 

"November  19th.  ...  At  12.30  I  took  Spots- 
wood  and  went  to  the  Parliament.  ...  I  returned 
without  seeing  much  besides  the  outside  of  the  building. 

But  after  dinner  I  returned  with  G ,  and  aft(^r  some 

delay  got  admission,  and  witnc  ssed  the  voting  for  officers, 
the  ballots  being  dropped  by  the  members  into  three 
urns.     .     .     .     The  speaker  uses  a  bell  instead  of  a  gavel. 

"iSTovember  20th.  .  .  .  Walked  outside  of  Porta 
Pia  and  saw  the  place  at  which  Victor  Emmanuel  made  a 
breach,  and  entered  the  city  September  20th,  1870. 
.  At  night  Sue  and  I  went  to  Mr.  Van  Meter's. 
Present,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wall,  Mr.  and  Miss  Birrell,  Liver- 
pool ;  Prof.  Norman  Fox,  of  William  Jewell,  Mo. ;  two 
English  travellers,  and  two  or  three  English  residents  of 
Rome.  Cold  turkey,  beef  tongue,  hot  biscuit  and  delicious 
coifee,  cake,  fruit,  etc.  We  have  not  seen  such  a  Peyton- 
like supper  since  we  left  U.  S.  .  .  .  We  reached  home 
about  10.30  much  refreshed  every  way,  and  bringing  a 
bundle  for  the  children.     .     .     . 

"November  22nd.     Water  in  our  well  once  more.     We 


184  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

shall  enjoy  it.  .  .  .  Our  street  is  still  torn  to  pieces 
and  now  we  have  a  deep,  broad  sewer  dug  straight  down 
from  our  door  sill,  revealing  to  us  how  deep  is  the  made 
earth,  and  the  character  of  the  foundations,  and  we  have 
to  enter  over  a  mountain  of  earth,  and  by  crossing  an 
extemporized  bridge.  They  work  at  the  street  day  and 
night  and  Sunday.  And  all  Rome  is  being  fixed  up  in 
this  way.  .  .  .  Changed  our  restaurant.  We  will 
try  a  cheaper  dinner.  Going  as  I  am  on  money  borrowed 
from  the  bankers,  and  not  knowing  when  they  will  decline 
to  advance,  or  when  a  remittance  will  come,  we  are  buying 
everything  by  the  small  quantity  and  exercising  the  most 
rigid  economy.  I  paid  to-day  seventy-five  cents  for  exactly 
two  armful s  of  wood.  At  night  walked  through  rain  to 
Trastevere. 

''November  23rd.  ...  To  Trastevere.  I  read 
Luke  XV,  and  spoke  about  five  minutes  on  Jesus  Christ 
the  friend  of  sinners.  I  was  much  embarrassed  and  made, 
in  consequence,  many  needless  mistakes,  and  in  fact  made 
a  poor  out  generally,  but  I  was  understood,  and  there 
had  to  be  a  beginning.  ...  I  am  profoundly  affected 
by  the  death  of  our  dear  Dr.  Snead,  as  I  was  by  the 
deaths  of  Colonel  Baldwin,  of  Staunton,  and  of  my  old 
fellow-student  and  associate  in  the  Valley,  F.  H,  Bowman, 
who  fell  a  victim  to  the  fever  in  Memphis.  I  would  be 
admonished  by  these  things,  as  well  as  by  my  many  pains 
and  weaknesses,  of  my  own  end.  No  word  but  vile  can 
express  my  convictions  of  my  ovTn  character  and  life. 
.  .  .  I  have  made  sacrifices  which  I  deeply  feel. 
But,  alas,  how  little  purity  of  motive!" 


REV.  GEOEGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOK,  I).  D.       185 

On  the  evening  of  his  first  Christmas  day  in  Rome,  Dr. 

Taylor  wrote  to  bis  brother  Charles: 

"We  had  a  dinner  reminding  us  of  home  and  of  the 
past — besides  our  usual  restaurant  dinner  of  beef,  mac- 
aroni, etc.,  a  roast  turkey,  some  pickle  sent  by  the  Van 
Meters,  some  pepper,  and  a  cup  of  Mocha  coffee.  So 
you  see  with  all  our  troubles  we  are  in  good  spirits,  and 
doing  well.  And  to-night  Sue  and  I  will  have  a  sweet, 
quiet  time  reading  and  talking  together.     .     .     ." 

The  next  letter  must  be  given  practically  without  any 
abridgment.  It  describes  the  first  long  missionary 
journey  among  the  churches,  which  Dr.  Taylor  made  by 
himself,  and  it  is  quite  typical,  though  the  novelty  to 
him  of  all  he  saw  is  conspicuous.  This  letter  is  to  his 
wife,  and  is  dated    Bari,  January  31st,  1S74: 

''  .  .  .  In  my  compartment  on  leaving  Naples  I 
had  as  companions  three  'sisters,'  who  appeared  to  feel 
anything  but  kindly  to  me  for  entering.  But  I  preferred 
them  and  their  sour  looks  to  tobacco  fumes,  so  was  un- 
daunted and  held  my  place.  In  an  hour  or  so  they  left 
the  train,  and  from  that  to  Foggia,  say  from  eight  to  three, 
I  had  the  compartment  all  to  myself.  At  first  my  promi- 
nent feeling  was  of  sleepiness,  and  that  uncomfortableness 
which  comes  from  losing  sleep,  and  getting  up  when  one 
would  much  prefer  to  lie  abed.  But  soon  I  became  en- 
gaged in  a  desperate  struggle  to  keep  warm,  or  rather 
to  keep  from  being  insufferably  cold.  The  day  was  sun- 
less and  raw,  and  our  passage  was  for  one  hundred  miles 
through  a  mountainous  region  covered  with  snow,  while 
occasionally  the    clouds    would    spit  forth    the    genuine 


186  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

article  with  a  vim  you  would  hardly  have  supposed 
possible  in  this  southern  genial  clime.  It  would  have  been 
amusing  if  it  had  been  less  pitiable  to  see  my  efforts. 
My  overcoat,  you  know,  is  very  thin,  and  my  half  shawl 
like  the  covering  described  in  Scripture.  I  needed  it  to  sit 
on  and  to  cover  my  shoulders  and  my  feet.  For  either 
two  it  was  sufficient,  but  for  all  three  it  was  quite  un- 
equal; and  to  see  me  curled  into  a  knot,  and  keeping 
perfectly  still,  so  as  not  to  throw  off  my  needed  covering, 
would  have  excited  the  risibles  of  the  most  pitying,  and 
the  pity  of  the  most  mirthful  fellow-passenger,  whom  a 
kind  Providence  had,  by  keeping  him  away,  saved  the 
trouble  of  acting  this  double  and  conflicting  part  of  the 
laughing  and  crying  philosopher.  Happily  I  had  also  a 
pair  of  cheap  rag  slippers  along,  which  were  large  enough 
to  admit  my  toes  and  insteps,  leaving  only  the  heels 
utterly  unprotected.  Coiled  up  as  I  was,  reading  was 
not  easy,  yet  I  read  in  Italian  several  chapters  of  the  Acts, 
and  I  must  say  read  them  with  keener  zest  than  usual, 
entering  into  Paul's  missionary  journeys  as  scarcely  ever 
before.  Anon  I  would  pace  my  compartment  like  a 
caged  lion  and  even  stamp  around  generally  to  keep  from 
getting  numb  and  stiff.  But  as  the  walking  had  to  be 
done  on  my  own  empty  stomach,  it  was  the  less  relished, 
for,  be  it  ever  remembered,  while  hunger  is  the  best  sauce 
for  dinner,  it  is  not  for  exercise.  But  all  things  have  an 
end  and  so  had  my  troubles  for  this  time,  and  of  this 
kind.  About  two  o'clock  we  began  to  see  the  ground 
once  more,  and  I  gave  an  involuntary  sigh  of  relief,  and 
said  Thank  God  for  this.'     Then,  too,  came  some  strag- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  1).  D.       187 

gling  beams  of  the  sun,  and  I  actively  dodged  from 
corner  to  corner  to  catch  each  gleam.  We  also  emerged 
into  a  beautiful  open  and  fertile  country,  in  striking  con- 
trast with  the  dreary  region  through  which  most  of  our 
journey  had  been  made.  And  to  crown  all,  at  three  o'clock 
we  reached  Foggia,  where  I  had  a  rest  of  an  hour  before 
changing  trains  and  where  I  had  the  opportunity  to  get  a 
good  hot  dinner,  which,  while  it  did  not  quite  take  the 
numbness  out  of  my  fingers,  certainly  made  my  body  and 
my  mind  feel  a  thousand  per  cent  better.  But  I  am  sure 
had  the  man  of  the  German  story,  ^the  man  who  could 
not  shiver,'  been  with  me  yesterday,  he  could  have  been 
gratified,  or  if  he  had  found,  owing  to  his  peculiar  con- 
dition or  constitution,  any  difficulty,  I  could  gladly  have 
helped  him  by  relieving  him  of  any  or  all  of  his  garments. 
"At  4.30  I  took  another  train  on  the  great  through 
route,  down  the  Adriatic  coast  to  the  stepping-off  place  for 
the  Orient.  Still,  strangely  enough,  I  had  a  compartment 
to  myself.  But  about  dusk,  at  a  certain  station,  eight  men 
bolted  for  my  com])artment  and  off  we  dashed.  They 
at  once  began  to  talk  first  of  and  then  to  me.  They  were 
athletic-looking  fellows  and  their  eyes  and  mustaches  were 
decidedly  brigandish.  ^N'ow  not  only  has  Southern  Italy 
been  cursed  with  brigandism,  but  we  had  but  a  little  be- 
fore passed  a  town  which  Baedeker,  a  most  faithful  guide, 
declares  is  still  'noted  for  the  brigandism  of  its  inhabi- 
tants.' Then  these  men  whispered  and  made  signs  so 
mysteriously;  how  could  I  not  have  vague  suspicions 
awakened  ?  Add  several  suspicious  circumstances — their 
most  pertinacious  and  minute  inquiries  as  to  my  desti- 


188  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

nation  and  whether  or  not  I  was  a  traveller  for  pleasure; 
their  drawing  the  curtain  over  the  lamp  in  the  ceiling  of 
the  car,  so  as  to  render  it  almost  perfectly  dark;  their 
crowding  very  close  to  me ;  and  finally  their  producing 
and  showing  for  my  inspection  several  pieces  of  silver, 
and  more  than  hinting  their  wish,  which  I  took  care  not 
to  gratify,  to  see  the  contents  of  my  purse ;  and  do  you 
wonder  that  with  all  these  things  I  felt  at  least  the  need 
of  caution,  and  began  to  think  what  I  would  do,  if  per- 
adventure  (for  I  did  not  really  apprehend  danger)  they 
should  do  this  or  that '(  And  yet,  after  all,  I  presently 
assured  myself  that  the  suspicious  circumstances  were 
j)urely  accidental,  and  portended  just  what  the  dead 
Indian  answers,  that  is,  nothing  at  all.  The  catechism  to 
which  T  was  put  was  due  simply  to  curiosity.  Probably 
they  had  never  seen  an  American  before.  Moreover,  my 
chief  interlocutor  was  a  lawyer.  But  now  embarrass- 
ment on  my  part  succeeded  any  other  feeling.  I  am  sure 
I  felt  as  I  sported  my  broken  Italian,  trying  to  gratify 
them,  something  as  a  coy  maiden  might  feel  when  sur- 
rounded by  her  first  circle  of  admiring  and  contending 
combatants  for  her  favor;  and  when  they  seemed  lost  in 
astonishment  that  one  so  lately  come  should  talk  so  well, 
and  all  eyes  were  on  me,  and  all  tongues  busy  discussing 
my  revelations,  really  my  face  became  hot  with  just  such 
blushes  as  might  have  suffused  the  face  of  the  aforesaid 
maiden.  But  having  satisfied  myself  no  harm  was  meant 
I  boldly  told  them  all  they  wanted  to  know  about  myself — 
in  fact  did  all  but  produce  the  purse — and  to  my  state- 
ment, 'I  am  an  evangelical  minister,'  they  said,  ^Bravo! 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       189 

Benissimo/  in  a  way  quite  reassuring.  They  left  the 
train  one  after  the  other  with  a  kind  handshake ;  and 
so  ended  my  adventure  (  ?). 

"In  a  couple  of  hours  I  was  at  Bari,  and  before  I  could 
hesitate  much  as  to  my  ])lan  of  action,  I  was  greeted  by 
Signor  Basile,  and  three  other  brethren,  whose  affectionate 
kisses  might  even  have  confirmed  my  idea  of  being  a 
courted  maiden,  as  above  suggested,  had  I  not  learned 
to  know  last  summer  that  these  were  the  holy  kisses  en- 
joined by  the  Apostle.  We  walked  to  the  excellent  Albergo 
del  Risorgimento,  and  sat  for  a  couple  of  hours  talking, 
and  then  I  retired  in  my  ample  chamber,  and,  thanks  to 
my  Heavenly  Father,  enjoyed  a  pretty  good  night's  rest. 

"But,  alas,  this  morning  was  cold  and  rainy  as  I  went 
out  to  a  restaurant  in  the  rain  for  my  cajfe.  Oh,  how  cheer- 
less it  was !  How  was  I  shocked  and  saddened  to  hear 
there  that  this  was  the  last  day  of  a  poor  fellow  con- 
demned to  be  executed  in  this  city !  It  has  been  a  pall 
over  my  soul  all  day,  and  at  one  I  thought,  'at  this  hour 
he  is  meeting  his  doom' ;  and  then  presently  the  people 
came  thronging  back  from  the  scene  and  pn  sently  all  were 
reading  the  huge  placards  in  reference  to  his  execution. 

"Till  eleven  this  morning  I  sat  talking  with  the  brethren, 
but,  oh  so  cold;  equal  to  any  November  day  I  ever  felt! 
Then  I  said  I  must  have  a  room  with  a  fire.  Alas !  no 
such  room  in  the  house.  Then  I  demanded  a  scaldino, 
which  warmed  my  feet,  but  badly  affected  my  head.  Alas, 
winter  life  in  Italy  is  often  the  quintessence  of  all  un- 
comfortableness.  My  brethren  said,  ^Oh,  this  weather  will 
not  last  many  days.'     'No,'  said  I,  'but  if  by  the  time  it 


190  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

gets  fair  and  warm  the  bad  has  killed  me,  what  good  would 
the  sunshine  do  me  ?  At  which  all  were  infinitely  diverted^ 
I  have  been  busy  talking  all  day,  I  trust  usefully.  I  have 
tried  to  talk  for  Jesus.  This  letter  I  have  dashed  off  for 
recreation,  and  now  have  not  time  even  to  read  it  over. 
Have  just  taken  a  look  at  Horace's  ^stormy  Adriatic'  and 
now  go  to  sup  with  an  evangelical  family.  In  much 
haste  with  oceans  of  love  to  each  and  all.  Your  devoted 
Husband." 

Under  date  of  April  4th,  1874,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to 
his  brother  Charles : 

'^ Probably  before  receiving  this  you  will  have  seen  of 
an  advance  step  taken  by  our  mission  in  the  baptism  of 
several  in  Milan,  the  beginning  of  a  Baptist  Church. 
Last  evening  I  received  a  letter  from  Bari  men- 
tioning the  baptism  of  four.  This  is  encouraging.  Per 
contra  there  came  also  a  long  document  signed  by  thirty- 
two  persons  disaffected,  who  have  left  the  church  (or 
been  excluded,  some  of  them),  bitterly  complaining  of 
injustice,  and  making  grievous  charges  against  the  evange- 
list and  the  rest  of  the  church,  and  appealing  to  me  for 
redress,  and  also  to  rectify  matters.  ...  I  fear  to 
do  nothing  and  yet  do  not  know  what  to  do. 

'^  .  .  .  The  Board  seems  embarrassed,  and  I  have 
been  keeping  the  mission  going  by  borrowing  constantly. 
You  can  imagine  the  disagreeableness  of  this  as  well  as 
the  anxiety  I  am  kept  in.  Sometimes  I  am  nervous  at 
the  postman's  ring  or  the  entrance  of  a  person,  lest  it  may 
be  a  demand  for  a  payment  I  cannot  meet.  Our  entire 
band  of  laborers  lives  from  hand  to  mouth,  and  our  rents 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       191 

have  to  be  paid  with  great  punctuality  to  avoid  being 
turned  out,  or  at  least  much  trouble,  and  consequently 
all  the  time,  and  certainly  at  the  beginning  of  the  month, 
I  am  in  more  or  less  trouble.  When  remittances  come 
they  generally  about  pay  what  has  been  borroAved,  and 
then  the  story  is  repeated.  I  have  just  had  considerable 
trouble  turning  the  1st  of  April  corner.  I  had  borrowed 
$700  from  Mr.  Van  Meter,  whom  I  paid  by  borrowing 
from  the  bank,  and,  of  course,  look  anxiously  for  a  remit- 
tance. .  .  .  The  Board  being  so  pressed  I  have  de- 
clined two  months'  salary.  This  I  do  very  cheerfully, 
though  it  presses  me.  I  have  lived  with  sufficient  com- 
fort in  some  things,  but  have  used  and  am  using  a  very 
strict  economy,  foregoing  many  things  that  T  think  few 
brethren  would  wish  or  expect  me  to  do." 

From  a  sixteen-page  letter  to  his  brothers,  dated  June 
9th,  1874,  the  following  extracts  are  made: 

"  .  .  .  Last  Sunday  I  preached  at  the  Scotch 
Presbyterian  Church,  a  handsome  building  outside  the 
walls.  ...  I  enjoyed  preaching.  .  .  .  There 
were  several  pleasant  episodes.  .  .  .  Who  should 
come  up  after  the  sermon  but  Mrs.  McGuifey  and  the 
Misses  Howard !  .  .  .  While  I  was  talking  to  them 
a  lady  sought  an  introduction,  saying  she  was  from  Phila- 
delphia, and  that  one  of  the  recollections  of  her  child- 
hood was  the  devotion  of  her  mother  to  my  father.  Then 
came  up  two  or  three  gentlemen,  very  profuse  about  the 
sermon,  one  of  them  borrowing  it  for  himself  and  party. 
You  remember  Broadus  telling  you  of  Spurgeon's  deacon 
asking  him   (S )  what  he  would  drink  after  preach- 


192  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ing,  etc.  Well,  in  the  Scotch  Church  here  they  give  no 
option,  but  have  in  the  preacher^s  retiring-room  only  port 
wine  and  crackers.  Suppose  the  preacher  had  poor  teeth 
and  needed  something  stronger !  .  .  .  Among  those 
at  the  Scotch  Church  Sunday  was  our  good,  dear  doctor, 
Dr.  Gason,  who  is  really  the  (low)  English  Episcopal 
Church  in  Rome,  having  almost  single-handed  kept  it 
going  and  built  the  new,  beautiful  house.  He  invited  me 
after  sermon  to  take  tea  with  him  last  evening.  I  went 
and  had  a  really  pleasant  time,  with  him,  his  wife  and 
the  cat,  who  constitute  the  family.  They  are  very  intelli- 
gent and  cordial,  and  wonderfully  friendly  to  me  and 
mine.  He  is  a  warm-hearted  Irishman,  a  real  church- 
man, but  a  good  Christian,  and  a  hater  of  humbug.  He 
goes  to  the  Bagni  di  Lucca  to-morrow,  where  he  is  resident 
physician,  and  is  going  to  arrange  for  us,  who  expect  to 
follow  in  a  few  days.  ...  I  have  been  very  busy 
all  day,  mostly  answering  Italian  letters.  Every  day  the 
difficulties,  complications,  embarrassments  of  this  work 
grow  on  me.  ...  I  am  preparing  an  address  to  make 
when  I  visit  some  of  the  churches  this  summer.  Shall 
prepare  carefully,  but  probably  speak  ex  tempore.  .  .  . 
God  grant  whatever  comes  I  may  be  saved  from  adding 
another  to  the  quarrels  that  have  been  the  curse  of  the 
evangelical  work  in  Italy,  specially  in  Rome. 
This  morning,  before  breakfast,  James  probably  went  out 
into  his  garden  with  Poindexter  and  Boyce  and  gathered 
his  vegetables  for  the  day,  George  has  no  garden,  but 
he,  before  breakfast  this  morning,  went  out  with  Mary, 
Spotswood    and    Susy    to    seek    supplies    for    the    day. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       193 

Leaving  the  little  ones  in  the  shade  watching  the  black 
goats,  which  come  in  to  be  milked,  he  struck  boldly  across 
the  piazza  through  the  sunshine,  which  even  at  that  early 
hour  was  burning,  and  quickly  made  his  purchases — a 
nice  steak,  some  potatoes,  snaps  and  tomatoes,  and  a  hand- 
ful of  oxheart  cherries  for  the  children.  Then  he  stuffed 
a  pad  of  butter  in  his  pocket.  They  have  such  a  nice 
fashion  here,  in  every  store,  where  anything  like  meat  or 
butter  is  sold:  they  keep  a  large  supply  of  fresh  grape 
leaves.  The  butter  is  wrapped  first  in  the  grape  leaves 
and  then  in  paper." 

From  a  ten-page  letter,  dated  Bagui  di  Lucca,  July 
21st,  the  following  extracts  are  made: 

"  .  .  .  My  strength  is  very  limited.  I  am  some- 
times alarmed — constantly  distressed — to  find  how  little  I 
can  do.  .  .  .  Spotswood  enjoys  playing  in  the  gar- 
den, a  rare  treat  to  him.  I  have  had  him  and  Mary  a  little 
wagon  made.  Spotswood  seems  quite  contented  when 
he  is  riding,  and  when  he  has  his  mouth  full  of  figs, 
but  though  these  last  are  tolerably  abundant  and  I  have 
so  many  Baptists  to  back  me,  I  can't  keep  it  full  all  the 
time.  What  a  sweet  thing  to  be  a  three-year-old  and  to 
have  no  higher  wish  than  to  have  plenty  of  figs,  and  to 
sleep  with  'mudder  I'  .  .  .  Mary  has  entered  on  life's 
more  serious  stage.  .  .  .  She  reads  history  and 
writes  a  little.  .  .  .  George  takes  daily  lessons  in 
Italian,  and  can  understand  the  common  talk  of  the  com- 
mon people  better  than  I.  .  .  .  Susan  fills  me  with 
surprise.  After  so  much  care  and  watching  she  looks 
to-day  as  young  and  bright  as  any  time  for  the  past  fifteen 


194  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

years.  Only  some  white  hairs  tell  that  the  time  is  pass- 
ing. ...  I  am  just  finishing  Dr.  Di  Sanctis'  work 
of  150  pages  on  'The  Mass.'  It  is  wonderfully  erudite 
and  piquant  and  able.  .  .  .  When  I  returned  from 
Europe  Brother  Fife  asked  doubtingly,  'Are  the  mountains 
of  Europe  more  picturesque  than  ours?'  I  said,  'Add  to 
what  you  have  terraces  of  vineyards  and  cap  the  summit 
with  a  ruinefl  castle.'  I  am  reminded  of  it  daily.  I  have 
but  to  look  up  from  my  paper  to  gaze  not  only  at  the 
lofty  mountains  and  brawling  river,  but  at  the  luxuriant 
vines,  and  at  the  grey  stone  building  which  surmounts 
the  lofty  peak.     It  is  a  daily  joy  to  me." 

The  following  extracts  are  from  a  long  letter,  dated 
Bagni  di  Lucca,  September  24th,  1874: 

''  .  .  .  The  other  day  Spotswood  said  tragically 
and  with  tremendous  emphasis,  '0  Pa,  I  am  fairly 
starving.'  I  was  very  much  touched  and  hastened  to 
prepare  bread  and  butter,  when  he  said  solemnly,  'I'm 
not  starving  for  that  sort  of  thing,  but  I'm  starving  for 
the  good  fruit  you  all  have  been  eating.'  .  .  .  Mr. 
Van  Meter  amused  me  by  telling  how  he  went  to  Fulton 
Market,  New  York,  and  said  to  a  man,  who  is  famous 
for  his  oyster  stews:  'Now,  my  friend,  remember  that  I 
have  not  tasted  an  oyster  for  a  year ;  imagine  my  feelings 
and  act  accordingly.'  ...  I  brought  with  me  from 
Rome  quite  an  assortment  of  tracts,  wishing  to  leave  my 
testimony  in  this  region  which  has  afforded  so  delightful 
a  refuge  to  my  family.  .  .  .  Day  before  yesterday 
George  and  I  took  a  donkey  between  us  and  climbed  a 
very  high  mountain,  on  the  very  top  of  which  is  a  village 


REV.  GEORGP:  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  I).       195 

with  its  solid  stunt'  houses  aud  narrow  paved  stre(ts. 
Providence  favored  me.  Two  or  three  young  men,  un- 
usually intelligent  looking,  were  standing  or  sitting  to- 
gether. I  took  my  seat  on  a  stone  curbing,  holding  uiy 
bridle  (Gcorgt^  having  gone  to  get  some  grapes,  for  this 
village  is  surr(junded  with  vineyards  and  they  were  in 
the  midst  of  the  vintage),  and  thus  seated  I  commenced 
a  little  chat,  offering  cautiously  some  simple  gospel  tracts. 
I  then  said  as  they  were  accepted,  'These  are  about  the 
Saviour,  etc.  I  have  others  which  are  controversial,  op- 
posing the  Mass  and  the  Confessional,  but  I  don't  wish  to 
give  them  to  you  without  telling  you  what  they  are,  and 
unless  you  wish  them.'  They  passed  some  words  among 
themselves,  and  I,  seeing  that  'Barkis  was  willin','  passed 
over  my  other  sort,  insisting,  as  I  did  so,  specially  as  young 
men  they  ought  to  seek  diligently  to  know  the  truth. 
Others  came  and  I  soon  gave  away  a  good  many  with  as 
much  adaptation  as  possible.  I  could  see  sundry  persons 
passing  and  looking  suspiciously  and  scowlingly  on  me  and 
my  work.  Having  finished  my  distribution,  which  had 
been  accompanied  by  a  running  fire  of  talk,  I  rose,  and, 
fronting  the  party,  said:  'The  substance  of  it  all  is  that 
God  has  so  loved  the  world  that  He  has  given  His  only 
begotten  Son  that  whosoever  believeth,  etc.  We  all  then 
may  be  saved  without  money  and  without  price  and  we 
may  go  directly  to  God  without  any  priest  but  Jesus.  We 
all  ought  to  accept  Him,  and  if  we  do  trust  Him  we  will 
love  Him  and  try  to  please  Him,  etc.  I  am  doubly  a 
stranger.  For  I  am  a  foreigner,  knowing  little  of  your 
language,  and  do  not  know  you  by  face.     Probably  I  shall 


196  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

never  see  yon  again  till  we  meet  at  the  judgment.'  Then 
I  bowed  and  bade  them  good-bye,  which  they  most  respect- 
fully reciprocated,  and  I  took  my  way  down  the  mountain. 
To-day  I  made  another  sally.  Our  new  apart- 
ments in  liome  necessitate  our  furnishing  linen,  and  as  a 
good  deal  is  made  in  this  region  it  seemed  well  to  seek 
it  here.  Or.  Gason  recoumiended  Gallicano,  a  village 
twelve  miles  from  this,  and  T  determined  to  make  an 
excursion  of  it,  taking  Sue  and  some  of  the  children. 
Accordingly  at  T.oO  this  morning  Sue  and  1,  j\Iary  and 
Spotswood  set  off  in  a  light,  open  buggy  with  a  jolly  little 
black  horse,  and  a  driver  whom  we  knew.  I  leave  to  Sue's 
more  graphic  pen  to  describe  the  i-ide,  the  scenes,  the 
vintage,  the  quaint  village,  an«l  our  curious  ex])eriences 
in  bargaining  for  and  buying  the  linen.  When  it  was  all 
over  T  commenced  my  col  porter  work.  .  .  .  Here, 
too,  I  preached  my  three-minute  sermon  and  left  results 
in  the  hand  of  God.  .  .  .  George  and  T  read  'Silvio 
Pellico'  daily." 

After  spending  the  summer  at  the  Bagni  di  Lucca  in 
Tuscany,  the  family  was  again  in  Rome,  keeping  house, 
this  year  at  28  Via  del  Tritone.  In  a  letter  to  his  mother, 
dated  November  10th,  1874,  Dr.  Taylor  writes: 

"...  I  have  kissed  Spotswood  and  Susy,  who 
are  in  the  hands  of  Ottavia  and  Libera,  getting  into  bed, 
and  Sue  is  washing  up  the  tea  things  while  George  and 
Mary  are  by  me  preparing  their  lessons  for  to-morrow. 
We  all  enjoyed  our  supper  of  bread  and  butter  and  grapes. 
Instead  of  cake  we  have  as  a  sort  of  luxury  the  Pied- 
montese  bread,  which  is  white,  and  nicer  than  what  we  use 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       197 

as  nur  staple.  The  grapes  are  delicious.  .  .  .  Prof. 
Edward  Judson,  of  Madison  University  (son  of  Adoniram 
Judson),  has  resigned  his  professorship  to  spend  some  time 
in  Europe,  and  has  come  here  with  his  young  wife  for  the 
winter.  .  .  .  The  arrangement  has  been  made  for 
Professor  Judson  to  supply  for  a  tinie  the  American  Union 
Church  in  Kome.  ...  I  have  .seldom  seen  a  man 
who  pleased  me  mor(\  lie  is  bright  and  full  of  life,  and 
very  intelligent,  but  simple-hearted  as  a  child,  and  is  to 
me  at  once  more  affectionate  and  deferential  than  anybody 
I  have  seen  for  a  long  time.  ...  I  anticipate  much 
plea.sure  from  his  society  this  winter.  .  .  .  Last 
Sunday  we  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper,  about  six  P]ng- 
lish-speaking  and  the  same  number  of  Italians. 
It  is  the  first  time  Sue  has  communed  since  leaving 
Fredericksburg." 

On  IN'ovember    18th,   1874,   Dr.     Taylor  wrote    to  his 
mother : 

"  .  .  .  ]My  owTi  daily  perplexities  and  anxieties 
are  very  great.  .  .  .  Our  family  is  a  little  world  in 
itself.  .  .  .  The  children  are  a  great  solace. 
One  week  ago  to-night  we  had  a  little  company,  the  Van 
Meters,  Judsons,  Dr.  Wassen  and  his  little  boy.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Vernon  and  their  daughter  of  Mary's  age,  and  Dr. 
Thomson  and  his  grown  son.  Dr.  Thomson  is  the  rather 
distinguished  author  of  ^The  Land  and  the  Book,'  and  for 
many  years  missionary  in  Syria.  He  was  very  enter- 
taining. I  told  him  that  wishing  to  prepare  my  little 
daughter  I  had  asked  which  was  the  land,  the  most  inter- 
esting land  in  the  world,  and  that  she  had  said  and  in- 


198  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

sisted  it  was  America.  He  laughed  and  said  she  was 
right." 

This  winter  Dr.  Taylor  had  opened  a  locale  on  Piazza 
Monte  Citorio,  just  across  from  the  Parliament  building, 
and  Mr.  Cocorda,  a  Waldensian  by  birth,  educated  under 
D'Aubigne  in  Geneva,  baptized  by  Dr.  Taylor,  had  come 
to  Rome  as  the  pastor  of  the  little  church.  Writing  on 
]^ovember  23rd,  to  his  brothers.  Dr.  Taylor  said: 

''  .  .  .  I  took  George  and  Mary  and  Annie  Craw- 
ford and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  and  their  brother-in-law, 
Rev.  Mr.  Hanna,  a  grandson  of  Alexander  Carson,  and 
now  pastor  in  Brooklyn,  to  our  locale  at  11  a.  m.  .  .  . 
Cocorda  spoke  well.  .  .  .  Gardiol  from  Civita  Vec- 
chia  was  present,  and  followed  Cocorda.  Then  I  said  a 
very  few  words  and  prayed.     The  singing  was  very  good. 

.  .  Cocorda,  before  administering  the  Lord's  supper, 
explained  our  position  on  that  subject,  which  he  did 
capitally,  saying  among  other  things  that  persons  should 
not  wish  to  render  the  social  before  they  had  rendered  the 
individual  testimony.  ...  I  proposed  that  as  there 
were  several  English  communicants  present  we  should 
have  one  prayer  in  English,  and  called  on  Professor 
Judson." 

On  February  25th,  1875,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his 
sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Sally  M.  Slaughter: 

"  .  .  .  To-day  two  weeks  ago  we  had  a  pleasant 
surprise.  I  was  reading  my  Bible  before  starting  to  the 
locale,  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Judson  were  announced.  You 
remember  how  we  learned  to  love  them  before  Christmas, 
yow  it  was  like  meeting  old  friends,  and  besides  there 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       199 

was  the  keen  pleasure  and  interest  of  hearing  their  ex- 
periences in  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land.     They  brought 
us    a  carpet-bag    full  of    oranges  from    Corfu. 
Personally  it  is  a  great  cross  to  me  not  to  preach  regularly 
every  Sunday.     I  often  feel  it  like  a  fire  in  my  bones. 

I  attended  last  week  two  very  remarkable  meet- 
ings, both  at  the  large  and  fashionable  church  of  the  Gesu. 

The  preacher  occupies  a  j^latform  erected  for 
the  occasion,  and  has  nothing  before  him,  and  standing 
out  with  his  black  cap  and  long,  graceful  robe  the  effect 
is  very  striking.  On  each  occasion  there  were  two  dis- 
courses. The  first  was  by  a  middle-aged,  tall,  handsome, 
oily-mouthed  Jesuit,  who  made  very  many  good  hits,  keep- 
ing the  people  on  the  qui  vivo,  and  insisted  with  much 
Jesuitical  casuistry  on  the  importance  of  the  Confessional. 
After  him  several  monks  in  white  gowms  wormed  their 
way  through  the  congregation,  taking  uj)  the  collection, 
announcing  the  proximity  to  each  person  by  a  dexterous 
jingling  of  the  bag.  This  done,  came  a  second  discourse, 
which  was  by  a  portly,  aged  man,  with  a  large  cross  sus- 
pended at  his  side.  His  voice  was  powerful,  his  tones 
pathetic,  his  manner  not  unlike  one  of  our  best  Virginia 
preachers  in  a  revival,  and  his  sermon  largely  evangelical, 
containing  sundry  apposite  citations  from  the  scripture. 
.  .  .  He  closed  with  a  fervid  appeal,  fell  upon  his 
knees,  led  in  ex  tempore  prayer  the  congregation  who  knelt 
as  one  man.  Then  followed  the  pageant  of  the  Mass,  the 
offering  of  incense  and  imposing  music,  the  vast  congre- 
gation joining  the  choruses,  so  that  I  was  thrilled  at  the 
time  and  even  now  seem  to  hear  the  vibrating  notes.'' 


200  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

On  April  15th,  1875,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  brother 
Charles  : 

^'  .  .  .  I  went  to  bed  and  remained  there  a  couple 
of  days.  It  always  troubles  me  that  when  I  am  sick  just 
a  little,  I  lose  all  interest  in  everything,  religion  included. 
It  is  a  miserable  experience.  ...  I  meant  to  stay 
at  home  with  Sue  and  let  the  children  accompany  these 
gentlemen  to  see  the  illumination  of  the  Colosseum,  it 
being  the  2,628  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Rome, 
but  Dr.  Gason  .  .  .  asked  me  to  accompany  him  and 
I  went.  The  crowd  was  immense,  counted,  I  am  sure,  not 
by  ten  or  twenty  thousands,  but  rather  by  the  hundred 
thousands,  filling  up  every  street  and  open  place  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  around  in  every  direction.  I  was  taken 
with  a  sort  of  fainting  spell,  and  after  seeing  the  Colos- 
seum in  its  glory  for  a  minute  was  too  happy  to  lie  as  best 
I  could  on  a  ledge  of  the  Arch  of  Titus,  with  my  head  in 
Dr.  Gason's  arms.  I  think  I  shall  never  forget  the  anxious 
misery  of  those  moments.  ...  I  lay  no  stress  on  my 
little  attack  last  evening,  and  only  mention  it  as  one  of 
the  rrs  gestce,  as  the  lawyers  say.'' 

On  May  4th,  1875,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  sister 
Fannie  (Mrs.  A.  E.  Dickinson)  : 

"...  I  had  intended  to  start  Saturday  on  one 
of  my  trips,  but  Dr.  Yernon  begged  me  as  a  special  favor 
to  fill  the  pulpit  of  the  American  Chapel  on  Sunday,  and 
I  stayed  over  for  that  purpose.  .  .  .  From  the  dinner 
table  George,  Mary,  Spotswood  and  I  hurried  to  the  3 
o'clock  singing  meeting  at  our  locale.  ...  I  spoke 
for  ten  minutes.     ...     It  was  all  perfectly  unpremedi- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  I).  D.       201 

tated.  ...  At  the  meeting  last  night  there  was 
handed  me  a  letter  .  .  .  informing  me  officially  of  a 
meeting  to  be  held  in  Brighton,  nrging  me  at  the  expense 
of  the  Committee  to  be  present  as  the  representative  of 
the  American  Baptists.  ...  I  think  representative 
men  from  all  parts  of  Enrope  will  be  present.  ...  I 
have  decided  to  go." 

The  family  went  for  a  second  summer  to  the  Bagni  di 
Lucca,  spending  several  weeks  in  September  at  Leghorn. 
Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles  from  the  Bagni 
di  Lucca,  July  8th,  1875 : 

I  see  from  the  Dispatch  that  a  letter  from 
U.  S.  to  Italy  will  now  be  ^yq  cents ;  //  it  is  so  you  will 
have  a  little  advantage  of  us,  for  we  will  have  to  pay 
eight  cents  on  those  we  send.  Ergo  you  must  write  eight 
letters  to  our  five.  I  am  amused  to  see  that  newspaper 
postage  has  been  reduced  to  two  cents.  Mahomet  and  the 
mountain.  The  Italian  and  U.  S.  Government  and  I  have 
been  trying  for  nearly  two  years  to  get  the  Biblical  Re- 
corder to  put  four-cent  stamps  on,  but  B.  C.  with  true 
N.  C.  conservatism  and  courageous  steadfastness  has 
persistently  declined ;  and  now  the  governments  say, 
'Well,  the  B.  C.  shall  have  things  its  own  way,  and  Taylor 
gets  his  paper  without  having  to  pay  eight  cents  more  per 
number.'  ...  I  came  here  this  summer  very  anxious 
to  do  something  for  the  evangelization  of  this  interesting 
region.  So  far  my  efforts  to  get  a  place  for  meetings  have 
failed,  those  who  have  suitable  rooms  being  afraid  to  let 
them  for  such  a  purpose.  .  .  .  Meantime  I  go  out 
almost    daily,  talking  to  individuals  as    the  opportunity 


202  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

offers.  .  .  .  Day  before  yesterday  I  was  much 
favored.  George  and  I  took  an  ass  in  partnership  (not 
to  ride  and  tie,  but  to  ride  and  drive),  and  ascended  to 
Lugliano,  a  lovely  village  on  the  top  of  a  mountain.  On 
the  way  and  in  the  village  I  had  many  pleasant  conver- 
sations, being  enabled  in  every  case  to  introduce  the  gospel 
in  a  natural,  easy  manner.  In  the  piazza  I  began  to 
talk,  and  quite  a  crowd  gathered  to  hear.  I,  of  course, 
gave  out  some  tracts,  but  rely  even  more  on  the  spoken 
word,  however  feeble,  and  when  tracts  are  given  I  like 
it  to  be  not  mechanically  but  discriminatingly,  and  in 
connection  with  conversation.  Yesterday  1  went  again  to 
Benabbio.  My  companions  were  an  ass,  and  Mr.  Smith, 
for  many  years  a  British  officer  in  India. 
Reaching  the  village,  I  found  a  stable  and  tied  my  ass  so 
as  to  be  quite  foot  loose.  We  then  went  into  the  first 
open  place  we  saw.     I  was  the  more   inclined  to  do  so 

as  it  was  a  shoe-maker's,  and  Mrs.  W thinks  they  are 

liberal  and  impressible.  I  was  courteously  received,  and 
soon  began  to  talk,  and  then  to  read  passages  from  my 
Testament.     But  I  found,  presently,  the  coast  wasn't  by 

any  means  so  clear  as  in   L the   day  before.      The 

men  (there  were  three)  listened  pretty  well,  but  one  of 
them  replied  warmly,  though  courteously;  then  Smith 
put  in,  and  I  saw  there  was  danger  of  a  more  wordy 
controversy,  and  I  checked  it  at  once,  and  began  in  a 
different  strain.  ]\Ieantime  the  village  priest,  whose 
garden  overlooked  the  shop  door,  had  stopped  to  listen  to 
us,  and,  hearing  some  statement  of  mine,  shouted  out  in 
loud  and  ansrrv  tones  that  it  was  false.     I  fortified  and 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       203 

explained  what  I  had  said,  and  then  one  of  the  men  very 
courteously  took  me  up  into  a  sort  of  society  hall,  upstairs, 
where  we  went  on  talking.  As  I  started  to  come  down, 
Smith  having  left  me,  I  saw  the  priest  with  another  coming 
to  the  shop,  with  quite  a  number  of  men.  I  saw  I  was  in 
for  it  and  determined  to  stand  my  ground.  On  getting 
down  I  found  the  two  priests  sitting  in  the  shop,  while 
quite  a  company  was  gathered  around  the  door.  One  of 
the  priests  began  by  saying  we  were  not  wanted  there ; 
that  our  doctrines  were  destructive,  and  they  would  burn 
all  our  books  and  tracts,  etc.  I  replied  very  calmly  that 
I  had  no  wish  to  intrude  anywhere,  but  that  I  had  a  right 
to  go  where  I  pleased,  and  talk  to  whom  I  pleased,  pro- 
vided they  wanted  to  hear  me.  ^Yes,'  said  one  of  the 
priests,  'but  not  on  religion.'  'On  any  subject  whatever.' 
We  then  got  into  a  discussion  which  touched  on  many 
points,  salvation  by  faith,  the  Confessional,  the  right  and 
duty  of  the  people  to  read  the  Bible,  etc.,  and  continued 
for  perhaps  an  hour  or  an  hour  and  a  half.  The  position 
was  very  trying,  and  sometimes  the  priests  would  use 
ridicule,  and  appeal  to  the  prejudices  of  the  people  against 
us,  and  it  was  not  always  easy  to  reply  to  everything  in 
the  very  best  words,  specially  in  a  foreign  tongue;  but  in 
the  main  I  held  my  ground  pretty  well,  citing  from  my 
Testament,  and  reading  from  one  or  two  tracts  to  show 
the  doctrines  we  teach.  God  enabled  me  to  be  perfectly 
calm  throughout,  and  I  could  see  that,  though  many  of  the 
audience  were  to  a  considerable  extent  with  the  priest,  I 
had  made,  on  the  whole,  a  favorable  impression  personally, 
while   perhaps    some   words   had   not    been   fruitless.      I 


204  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

parted  in  a  friendly  way  with  the  priests,  making  them 
shake  hands,  and  inviting  them  to  come  to  see  me,  and 
telling  them  I  would  call  on  them." 

On  October  9th,  1875,  from  Frascati,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote 
to  Kev.  J.  B.  Taylor,  his  brother: 

"  .  .  .  You  know  about  our  going  to  Leghorn. 
We  spent  nearly  three  weeks  there  very  pleasantly,  and  I 
think  the  sea  bathing,  though  after  the  season,  was  a  great 
advantage  to  us.  T  feel  better  than  at  all  during  the 
summer.  It  is  almost  the  first  time  T  was  ever  near  the 
sea  except  for  only  a  few  hours  together,  and  it  was  charm- 
ing to  walk  right  on  the  beach,  to  watch  the  waves — 
specially  when  lashed  into  fury  by  the  wind — to  count  the 
vessels  coming  and  going,  to  see  the  lighthouse  with  its 
revolving  light,  to  take  an  occasional  row,  to  visit  the 
British  men-of-war  in  the  harbour,  and  every  day,  almost, 
to  take  a  plunge  into  the  ocean,  and  to  walk  into  the  city 
and  along  the  wharves,  seeing  persons  of  different 
nationalities,  and  now  and  then  exchanging  a  few  words 
with  sailors  or  boatmen." 

In  a  letter,  dated  January  22nd,  1876,  to  his  brother 
James,  Dr.  Taylor  refers  to  Mr.  Judson,  who  within  the 
year  had  decided  to  enter  the  ministry,  and  had  become 
pastor  of  the  ^orth  Orange  (X.  J.)  Baptist  Church: 

''  .  .  .  Judson  wrote  me  that  his  church  once 
devoted  an  evening  to  praying  for  our  work  here.  Perhaps 
yours  would  do  the  same.  .  .  .  Dr.  Curry  and  his 
party  have  been  in  Rome  over  a  week.  I  see  him  daily, 
and  have  talked  to  him  very  freely  of  the  work.     We  now 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       205 

propose  to  have  a  meeting  of  our  evangelists  here  next 
week.  I  was  anxious  for  them  and  Currj  to  see  each 
other." 

On  May  24th,  1876,  Dr.  Taylor,  writing  to  the  Board, 
said: 

"Yesterday  Mr.  Cocorda  baptized,  in  an  excellent 
baptistery  which  we  have  constructed  in  the  basement  of 
our  locale,  five  persons.  ...  I  was  reminded  of  the 
baptisms  of  the  Catacombs,  but  all  was  'done  decently 
and  in  order.'  .  .  .  If  we  find  it  difficult  or  inex- 
pedient to  buy  property,  the  having  this  baptistery  makes 
us  more  contented  to  remain  in  rented  premises." 

On  June  25th,  1876,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  mother: 

"'I  have  felt  grieved  and  sad  at  hearing  that  you  are 
not  well,  and  that  at  such  a  time  you  have  the  worry  of 
the  dear  old  house  being  moved.  .  .  .  How  I  wish  I 
were  near  you  to  add  my  part  towards  ministering  to  your 
comfort  and  happiness !  .  .  .  The  only  thing  I  can 
do,  besides  writing  these  lines  of  love,  is  to  commend  you 
to  our  heavenly  Father,  who  loves  us  more  than  we  love 
each  other,  and  who  has  promised  to  do  for  us  all  that  we 
need.''     .     .     . 

The  summer  of  1876  was  spent  by  the  family  near  La 
Tour  in  the  Waldensian  Valleys,  Dr.  Taylor  himself  being 
away  much  of  the  time  visiting  the  various  stations. 
During  this  summer  George,  the  oldest  child,  went  to 
America  to  enter  Richmond  College.  Just  before  his 
departure,  he  had  the  never-to-be-forgotten  privilege  of 
a  little  pleasure  trip,  first  with  his  father  to  Bologna, 
Venice  and  other  points  of  interest  in  l^orth  Italy,  and 


206         "  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

then  with  both  of  his  parents  to  the  Italian  Lakes.  His 
father  accompanied  him  to  Glasgow,  where  he  set  sail 
for  America.  Both  father  and  son  had  dreaded  the 
separation,  but  the  seasick,  homesick  boy,  alone  on  the 
ocean,  never  knew  until  years  later  that  his  father,  after 
the  ship  had  sailed,  had  returned  to  the  boarding  house 
in  Glasgow  where  they  had  stayed  together,  and  sobbed 
with  sorrow  for  him. 

The  following  lines  are  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Taylor's 
younger  son,  Dr.  J.  Spotswood  Taylor: 

''From  his  youth  my  father  had  a  passion  for  physical 
exercise  and  the  open  air.  After  my  brother  went  to 
America  to  go  to  college,  I  became  his  constant  companion, 
and  the  influence  which  he  exercised  upon  me,  and  the 
most  lasting  recollections  I  possess  of  my  father  are  de- 
rived from  our  association  in  our  walks.  He  loved  best 
the  Esquiline  Hill  where  the  city  was  less  built  up,  be- 
cause many  large  open  spaces  remained  there,  the  sweep 
of  the  eye  was  greater,  and  the  air  purer  and  freer.  But 
sometimes  he  would  dive  into  the  most  congested  quarters 
of  the  city,  where  sidewalks  were  unknown,  and  where 
vehicles  worked  their  way  with  difiiculty  through  the 
swarming  pedestrians,  for  he  loved  Rome  and  the  Romans, 
and  mankind  generally,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  all 
phases  of  human  life.  In  these  walks  and  in  our  rambles 
in  the  country  during  the  summer,  he  did  what  he  could 
to  connect  the  great  events  of  the  histories  and  authors  I 
was  studying  with  the  scenes  around  us,  and  he  drew  my 
attention  to  everything  in  nature,  about  which  he  could 
contribute  some  fact,  and  set  my  mind  to  working." 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       207 

From  20  S.  Nicola  di  Tolentino,  Eome,  Dr.  Taylor 
wrote,  November  25th,  1876,  to  his  brother  Charles: 

'^  .  .  .  Dr.  Fuller  was  one  of  those — so  majestic, 
so  commanding,  so  full  of  life  and  vigor.  .  .  .  'I 
cannot  make  him  dead.'  .  .  .  Presently  Sue  called 
me.  We  two  had  delicious  tea  together.  We  enjoyed  the 
quiet  and  being  alone,  and  talked  of  how  old  people  liked 
an  occasional  quiet  moment." 

On  July  4th,  1877,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote,  from  Naples,  to 
his  brother  Charles: 

'^  .  .  .  I  wrote  you  of  having  the  use  of  an  ex- 
cellent library  at  the  Bagni  di  Lucca,  where  we  go  generally 
every  p.  :m.  to  read  a  London  paper  and  some  Italian  and 
French  ones,  and  to  take  out  such  books  as  we  want.  E 
have  been  reading  and  am  now  reading,  on  this  present 
journey,  Lockhart's  Tife  of  Scott,'  four  large  octavo 
volumes.  It  is  for  me  a  rich  treat.  .  .  .  Verily  no 
romance  from  his  owti  gifted  pen  is  so  romantic  as  his 
own  career,  and  his  letters  and  diary,  specially  the  latter, 
admit  us  to  the  inner  sanctuary  of  his  soul  with  its  trials 
and  struggles  under  circumstances  that  are  unparalleled. 
Then  the  book  is  a  picture  gallery  in  which  the  great  men 
and  women  of  his  time  are  placed  before  us  in  life  size,  and 
with  the  color  of  nature.  ...  Of  course  I  have  al- 
ways known  the  general  outline  of  Scott's  life,  and  the 
general  character  of  his  genius,  but  that  is  very  little  com- 
pared with  what  one  gets  from  reading  this  memoir.  By 
it,  too,  the  long,  and  otherwise  lonely,  hours  of  the  present 
journey  have  not  seemed  long  or  been  lonely.  Only  I 
have  often  wanted  a  friend  to  speak  to  of  it,  as  I  now  do 


208  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

to  you.  I  am  as  jou  know,  when  at  home,  blessed  beyond 
many  in  this  regard,  my  wife  being  able  to  sympathize 
with  me  perfectly  in  such  things,  and,  in  fact,  more  vereed 
in  a  certain  department  of  old  English  literature  than  I 
am.  I  have  a  fancy  that  it  is  not  a  bad  thing  to  range 
in  a  library  of  standard  volumes,  and  to  read  the  old 
books  that  are  not  the  mode  now,  and  that  are  in  danger 
of  being  pushed  out  of  the  way  by  the  swelling  stream  of 
current  literature.  I  have  a  fancy,  too,  for  dipping  into 
and  getting  an  inkling  of  many  books  that  I  can't  and 
don't  care  to  read." 

On  December  8th,  1877,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his 
brothers : 

"...  The  past  week  has  been  signalized  by  the 
visit  of  the  Deputation  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  sent 
to  heal,  and  to  report  on,  the  strifes  and  divisions  among 
the  workers  in  Italy,  and  especially  in  Rome.  They 
arrived  Tuesday  in  the  midst  of  terrible  weather.  Most 
of  the  brethren  went  to  meet  them  at  the  station.  I  did 
not  go,  being  sick  in  bed.  But  at  8  o'clock  at  night  I 
dressed  and  went  to  their  hotel,  where  we  had  arranged 
to  give  them  a  supper  and  a  reception.  About  thirty  were 
present.  I  sat  next  to  Dr.  Donald  Frazer,  of  London, 
who  is  a  tall,  fine-looking  man,  with  long,  white  hair,  and 
manners  like  those  of  Moses  D.  Hoge.  Appointments  were 
made  running  through  several  days  for  us  all  to  meet 
the  deputation  separately,  and  unfold  our  respective 
grievances.  Mr.  Cocorda  and  I  went  together.  I  told 
them  I  had  no  complaints  or  confessions  to  make.  But  I 
had  as  a  Baptist  to  stand  up  very  firmly  against  some 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOAEDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       209 

latitudinarian  ideas  that  were  broached.  To-day  we  had 
a  very  remarkable  meeting,  composed  of  all  the  workers, 
etc.,  of  Eome  and  vicinity.  Addresses  were  made  by 
Dr.  Frazer  and  Mr.  Bligh  (through  interpreters),  and 
by  Mr.  Arthur  (author  of  'Tongue  of  Fire'),  in  Italian. 
Then  we  had  addresses  by  Gavazzi,  Cocorda,  Wall,  many 
others  that  you  don't  know,  and  by  myself.  I  think  I 
had  as  much  liberty  as  I  almost  ever  had  in  English.  My 
talk  was  a  plea  for  large-heartedness  and  fidelity  to  prin- 
ciples and  mutual  forbearance,  and  I  urged  that  the  try- 
ing circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed  in  Rome,  in 
our  relations  to  each  other,  was  a  part  of  our  moral  edu- 
cation. I  felt  very  deeply,  and  think  that  I  had  the 
hearts  of  my  hearers.  We  had  some  very  plain  talking 
about  personal  difficulties.  Indeed,  I  think  I  have  learned, 
more  than  ever  before,  how^  plainly  and  frankly  people 
can  talk  without  getting  mad.  Thursday  night  Sue  and 
I  went  to  a  large  tea  party  given  to  the  deputation.  It 
has  been  a  trying,  exciting,  partly  pleasant,  partly  pain- 
ful week  to  me.  I  have  been  criticized  for  taking  some 
ex-Pedobaptist  workers,  and  entering  some  fields  (Venice) 
where  others  claimed  a  monopoly.  I  have  calmly  cor- 
rected some  gross  misrepresentations,  and  defended  my 
right  to  do  Avhat  T  have  done.  A  Waldensian  complained 
to-day  of  my  writing  articles  on  Baptism.  I  replied  you 
may  write  on  it  every  day.  We  must  not  confound  the 
discussion  of  principles  with  personal  antagonism.  I  have 
had  two  agues  this  week,  but  have  been  taking  quinine, 
and  hope  I  shall  not  have  another.  Dr.  Prime,  of  the 
!N'ew  York  Observer,  is  here.     He  called  on  me,  but  I  was 


210  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

in  bed  and  Sue  saw  him.  I  have  since  called  on  him.  He 
is  very  pleasant.'' 

Dr.  Prime,  to  whom  allusion  is  made  in  the  last  letter, 
wrote  thus  concerning  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  work: 

'^Rev.  Dr.  Taylor  is  a  man  of  decided  character;  with 
a  clear  and  vigorous  intellect,  a  tender  and  glowing  heart, 
and  such  a  sound  judgment  as  secures  for  him  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  all  who  represent  Protestant  missions  in 
Rome.  ...  In  another  part  of  the  to\\Ti  is  the  Bap- 
tist Church  .  .  .  and  in  at  least  seven  other  places 
in  Italy  preaching  stations  are  maintained  under  the 
superintendence  of  Dr.  Taylor.  .  .  .  These  missions 
form  an  important  part  of  the  great  work  now  in  progress 
for  the  spread  of  evangelical  religion  in  this  land  of  Papal 
darkness.  .  .  .  Dr.  Taylor  is  able  to  extend  his 
missions,  and  multiply  the  number  of  laborers  just  as 
fast  as  he  has  the  means  of  supporting  them.  And  you 
may  be  certain  that  he  is  judicious,  careful  and  wide- 
awake." 

From  his  arrival  in  Rome,  Dr.  Taylor  had  sought  to 
find  property  suitable  for  a  chapel  and  mission  purposes. 
This  was  by  no  means  easy  to  do.  There  are  no  vacant 
lots  in  Rome.  To  take  an  old  house,  tear  it  down  and  build 
a  new  structure  may  be  a  most  costly  undertaking.  When 
one  desires  to  build  in  Rome,  the  law  requires  him  to  go 
down  to  the  original  level  of  the  city.  Thus  it  may  be 
necessary  to  excavate  twenty  or  even  as  much  as  fifty 
feet.  At  last  Dr.  Taylor  decided  to  purchase  a  house 
which  could  be  remodelled,  and  given  the  appearance  and 
form  of  a  meeting-house.     He  wrote  thus  to  the  Board : 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  I).       211 

'^On  March  iTtb,  after  much  treating,  I  made  a  definite 
offer  of  129,000  lire  ($25,800)  cash  for  the  house  in  Via 
Teatro  dell  a  Valle,  which  has  been  before  us  for  more 
than  a  year.  .  .  .  April  30.  Yesterday  I  drew  on 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Board  for  $5,000  gold  fifteen  days 
after  sight,  and  for  $20,000  gold  three  months  after 
sight.  .  .  .  By  God's  great  mercy  the  affair  seems 
happily  terminated.  ...  I  trust  God  will  continue 
to  smile  upon  us,  giving  us  by  the  approaching  autumn 
a  complete  chapel." 

During  the  summer  of  1878,  which  the  family  spent 
in  the  Waldensian  Valleys,  Dr.  Taylor  not  only  had  the 
fearful  anxiety,  caused  by  the  obstacles  placed  in  the  way 
of  his  completing  the  chapel  by  the  Catholics,  but  was 
also  called  upon  to  pass  through  a  serious  illness.  The 
summer  brought  one  great  joy — a  family  reunion,  his 
older  son  returning  for  the  vacation  from  America.  The 
two  letters  which  follow  allude  to  these  several  incidents : 

''Lucerna — S.  Giovanni,  August  20th,  1878.  My  dear 
Brother:  ...  I  have  been  quite  sick,  and  am  slowly 
recovering  my  strength.  ]\Iy  disease  was  inflammation 
of  the  bowels,  and  my  sufferings  were  at  times  very  great. 
I  should  be  ashamed  of  crying  out  as  I  did,  but  I  am 
conscious  of  bearing  ordinary  pain  with  fortitude,  and 
Walter  Scott  tells  in  his  letters  how  in  great  bodily  agony 
he  roared,  so  that  he  could  be  heard  all  over  the  place. 
For  a  short  time  my  life  was  in  peril,  and  the  doctor 
said  afterwards  that  one  day  he  was  afraid  to  return. 
.  .  .  The  doctor  is  our  dear  Brother  Laura,  of  Turin, 
a  man  of  eminence  in  his  profession,  of  whose  baptism  just 


212  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

two  years  ago  I  wrote  the  Herald.  .  .  .  For  several 
days  he  gave  up  all  to  come  and  see  me,  and  his  kindness 
to  me  knew  no  bounds,  treating  me  not  only  as  a  kind 
physician,  but  as  an  own  brother  might  have  done,  con- 
stantly bringing  something  to  promote  my  comfort,  while 
at  each  visit  he  prayed  fervently  at  my  bedside.  How 
tenderly  I  was  ministered  to  by  my  dear  family,  and 
specially  by  my  wife  and  by  George,  I  need  not,  nor  can 
I,  tell  you.  I  required  constant  attention,  and  it  was  never 
wanting.  George  is  truly  womanly  in  his  sympathy,  and 
in  his  gentle  kindness.  Mary  took  constant  care  of  the 
children.  ...  I  felt  that  my  sick  bed  would  have 
been  a  bad  place  to  prepare  to  die.  .  .  .  It  is  likely 
that  this  attack  has  been  long  preparing,  as  for  more  than 
a  year  my  system  has  not  had  its  proper  balance." 

'Tucerna — S.  Giovanni,  August  20th,  1878.  My  dear 
Sisters:  .  .  .  Specially  have  I  been  anxious  about 
our  chapel  in  Rome,  as  I  did  not  know  what  might  be  the 
issue  of  our  difficulties ;  but  the  Lord  has  heard  prayer, 
and  has  been  better  to  us  than  our  fears.  The  refractory 
tenant  we  ejected  by  law.  From  the  municipality  we 
finally  gained  permission  to  make  our  projected  improve- 
ment, though  it  was  given  most  reluctantly  and  un- 
graciously, and  only  after  our  threat  to  appeal  to  the 
Parliament  and  King,  and  if  necessary  to  the  public 
sentiment  of  the  world — and  was  at  last  hampered  by 
onerous  conditions.  When  our  messenger  would  go  before 
the  city  magnates  they  would  cry  out  and  wish  that  all 
the  Protestant  chapels  were  at  an  end,  etc.  But  yesterday 
came  the  news  of  our  greatest  triumph.    As  you  know,  our 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       213 

neighbors  got  an  injunction  against  ns,  and  since  the  first 
day  of  June  all  our  work  in  the  pulpit  and  of  the  chapel 
has  been  stopped,  leaving  that  end  all  exposed.  I  didn't 
know  how  long  it  might  stay  so,  and  what  embarrassments 
and  expenses  I  might  encounter.  Having  employed  two 
lawyers — one  of  them,  Mancini,  said  to  be  the  best  lawyer 
in  the  civilized  world — I  had  to  wait  as  patiently  as  I  could 
for  the  result.  A  few  days  ago  I  received  printed  copies 
of  their  argument,  and  it  was  so  strong  that  my  soul  took 
courage.  Yesterday  came  a  letter  from  one  of  the  lawyers 
saying  that  our  victory  is  complete.  The  injunction  is 
removed,  we  are  entirely  vindicated,  our  work  can  be  at 
once  resumed  and  pushed  to  completion,  and  our  perse- 
cutors must  pay  the  costs  of  the  suit,  and  probably  some 
damages.  Thank  God.  There  is  yet  a  fourth  trouble, 
but  it  is  less  important  and  I  hope  can  be  adjusted  without 
serious  difficulty.'' 

Dr.  Tupper,  in  his  report  to  the  Convention  in  1879, 
referring  to  the  Rome  Chapel  said: 

'^The  chapel  was  dedicated  in  I^ovember.  The  opening- 
exercises  on  the  second  day  of  that  month  were  partici- 
pated in  by  all  the  ministers  in  Rome.  Our  evangelists 
continued  for  a  week  a  nightly  meeting  in  the  chapel.  The 
daytime  was  given  to  business  conference.  The  organ  of 
the  Vatican  referred  to  the  dedication  as  the  ^opening  of 
an  Infernal  Hall.'  Brother  Taylor  wrote:  ^The  chapel 
is  beautiful,  and  with  its  furniture  is  exquisitely  simple 
and  neat.'  The  building  is  so  constructed  that  it  furnishes 
comfortable  homes  for  Brother  Taylor  and  Signor  Cocorda 
and  their  families.     There  are  rooms  on  the  ground  floor, 


214  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

which  may  be  either  rented  or  used  for  some  purposes 
connected  with  the  mission.  The  treasurer  paid  drafts 
for  the  chapel  and  improvements  amounting  to  $31,838.26 
making  the  difference  to  be  provided  for  $4,- 
358.36." 

In  the  autumn  of  1878  the  Staunton  Baptist  Church, 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Manly  being  its  pastor,  celebrated  its 
25th  anniversary.  Dr.  Taylor,  on  September  I7th,  wrote 
a  letter  to  be  read  on  this  occasion.  The  following  are  a 
few  brief  extracts  from  this  letter: 

"Dear  Brethren  and  Sisters — I  can  say  with  Paul  in 
his  letter  to  the  Colossi ans :  ^Though  I  be  absent  in  the 
flesh,  yet  am  I  with  you  in  spirit,  joying  and  beholding 
your  order  and  the  steadfastness  of  your  faith  in  Christ.' 

.  .  The  years  that  are  gone  seem  to  shrink  up,  and 
your  past  history  and  mine,  so  long  intertwined,  is  vividly 
before  me.  ...  In  1850-'51  I  was  teaching  school  in 
the  County  of  Fluvanna  and  I  was  sent  with  General 
Cocke  as  a  delegate  to  the  State  Temperance  Convention 
in  Staunton.  The  journey  was  made  in  General  Cocke's 
carriage.  During  my  stay  in  Staunton  I  was,  with  other 
delegates,  hospitably  entertained  in  the  family  of  Mr. 
Donnaghe,   and  was   much  impressed  by  the  gentle  and 

active   piety   of   Mrs.    D ,    and   her   charity   for    all 

Christians.  I  thought  that  if  she  were  a  type  of  the 
Staunton  people,  that  would  be  a  most  pleasant  field  of 
labor  for  a  minister. 

"The  meeting-house  was  to  have  been  dedicated  the  first 
Sunday  in  October.  But  that  was  a  stormy  day.  I  felt 
desolate  enough.     Specially  had  I  fears  for  a  congregation, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       215 

for  our  own  members  did.  not  exceed,  if  they  reached,  a 
dozen,  and  we  had  no  outside  adherents  on  whom  I  could 
count.  I  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  preaching  to  empty 
benches.  But  God  was  better  than  my  fears.  On  the 
second  Sunday  in  October  we  had  a  very  successful  open- 
ing. Crowds  gathered.  I  preached,  in  the  morning,  the 
dedication  sermon  from  the  text,  'Lord,  I  have  loved  the 
habitation  of  Thy  house  and  the  place  where  Thine  honour 
dwelleth' ;  and  at  night  my  introductory  as  pastor  from  the 
words,  'As  much  as  in  me  is,  I  am  ready  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  you  that  are  at  Rome  also,'  little  dreaming,  by 
the  way,  that  this  was  afterwards  to  be  literally  fulfilled 
in  my  history.     .     .     . 

''I  close  as  I  began.     I  am  with  you  in  spirit  and  will 
be  when  you  hear  these  lines.     Some  day,  I  trust,  if  it  be 
God's  will,  to  greet  you  also  in  person.     But  I  do  not 
know  how  that  will  be.    ISTor  is  it  very  important.     .     . 
''Your  affectionate  brother  in  Christ, 

"George  B.  Taylor." 


CHAPTER  VII 

First    Visit    to    America  —  Death  of    Mrs.  Taylor  —  Second    Chaplaincy 
at   University  of  Virginia 


the  Being  Beauteous 
Who  unto  my  youth  was  given, 
More  than  all  things  else  to  love  me, 
And  is  now  a  saint  in  heaven. 

— Longfellow. 

But  thou  and  I  have  shaken  hands, 
Till  growing  winters  lay  nie  low. 
My  paths  are  in  the  fields  I  know, 
And  thine  in  undiseover'd  lands. 

— Tennyson. 

* 

In  view  of  the  debt  on  the  new  Rome  Chapel  the  Board 
requested  Dr.  Taylor  to  return  to  America  for  the  purpose 
of  raising  the  money.  He  heeded  the  call  of  his  brethren 
and  set  out  for  the  United  States  early  in  1879.  Besides 
attending  that  year  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  the 
Northern  anniversaries  and  the  General  Association  of 
Virginia,  at  which  gatherings  he  spoke,  he  made,  among 
the  churches,  especially  at  the  North,  collections  for  the 
Rome  Chapel.  Upon  the  advice  of  Dr.  John  Staige  Davis, 
who  entertained  Dr.  Taylor  at  the  June  meeting,  the 
Board  requested  him,  in  view  of  his  very  feeble  health,  to 
seek  rest  and  not  to  return  to  Rome  until  the  spring  of 
1880.     To  rest  seems  to  have  been  always  hard  for  him, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  I).  D.       217 

and  after  some  vacation  in  the  Virginia  mountains  during 
the  summer,  the  fall  found  him  once  again  pleading  for 
the  chapel.  His  work  was  interrupted  by  the  death  of 
his  sister,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Dickinson,  who  had  been  in  frail' 
health  for  some  time.  In  the  early  part  of  1880,  with  his 
family,  Dr.  Taylor  turned  his  face  towards  Rome.  As 
some  evidence  of  the  state  of  the  work  in  Italy,  notice  the 
following  list  of  the  Italian  evangelists  working  with  Dr. 
Taylor  at  this  time :  Ferraris,  Paschetto,  Bellondi,  Basile, 
Martinelli,  Volpi,  Cossii,  Cocorda,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1879  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Eager  was  appointed  by  the  Board 
for  Italy.  It  took  a  correspondent  of  no  mean  order  to 
be  able  to  write  letters  on  a  continental  train,  where  our 
parlor  cars,  with  all  their  conveniences,  were  then  un- 
known.    The  following  letter  was  headed: 

^Train  for  Turin,  near  Aix  les  Bains,  France,  April 
6th,  1880.  I  can  write  only  with  a  pencil,  and  not  very 
well  at  that,  as  the  train  dashes  on  through  these  lovely 
valleys  and  grand  snow-clad  mountains.  .  .  .  For  a 
few  days  in  London,  Paris,  and  on  the  journey,  I  have  been 
busy  on  my  annual  report,  which  I  have  just  finished; 
twenty-five  pages  like  this.  The  annual  reports  of  all  the 
evangelists  met  me  in  London.  I  do  not  know  how  it  will 
go  with  me.  I  fear  the  Italian  heat,  which  already  seems 
to  smite  me." 

On  a  postal  card.  May  13th,  1880,  from  Rome,  he  writes 
to  his  brother  Charles : 

"  .  .  .  I  have  just  returned  from  Naples,  where 
I  had  rather  a  worrying  time,  but  one  magnificent  three 
hours'  drive,  which  is  not  surpassed  by  anything  in  the 


218  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

world — i.  e.,  'not  as  I  nose  on.'  .  .  .  Some  important 
changes  have  to  be  made  in  our  work,  and  thej  are  giving 
me  anxiety.  Bnt  we  both  know  I  Peter  v :  7,  Phil,  iv :  6-7. 
We  have  been,  nearly  ever  since  my  reaching  Kome,  hold- 
ing a  grand  Union  Protestant  meeting,  which  has  stirred 
up  the  public,  certainly  the  little  evangelical  public,  very 
much,  and  with  good  results.  My  own  heart  has  been 
much  encouraged.  You  will  please  write  at  once  not  a 
miserable  postal  like  this,  but  a  good  long  letter.     .     .     ." 

On  September  10th,  1880,  he  wrote  to  his  brother 
Charles : 

''  .  .  .  My  delicate  health  has  kept  me  at  home 
this  summer.  I  have  hardly  been  able  to  go,  and  have  felt 
afraid,  in  my  state,  to  go  off  alone  to  strange  hotels.  But 
with  the  cooler  weather  I  shall  hope  to  make  some  more 
trips,  and  when  Eager  comes  we  shall  have  a  good  time 
going  together.  .  .  .  The  Waldensian  Synod  is  now 
holding  here  ...  I  have  been  praying  for  them,  and 
try  to  put  myself  in  their  place." 

In  a  letter  from  Eome,  March  8th,  1881,  he  says  to  his 
brother  Charles: 

"...  My  late  trip  was  pleasant,  and  I  greatly 
enjoyed  preaching,  especially  in  some  relatively  new 
ground.  But  I  suffered  physically  at  the  time,  from  cold, 
with  no  fires,  and,  after  my  return,  succumbed  to  an  un- 
usually severe  attack  from  my  old  foe,  rheumatism,  which 
latterly  has  played  in  a  most  uncomfortable  way  in  the 
regions  of  my  heart.  The  London  doctor  consulted  last 
spring  said  the  heart  would  be  my  weak  point.'' 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       219 

The  next  letter,  to  his  brother  Charles,  is  from  Rome 
and  dated  April  22nd,  1881: 

"  .  .  .  I  have  just  finished  sending  oft'  forty 
letters,  so  you  see  I  am  rather  tired  of  wi'iting.  I  am  also 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  establishment  of  a  General 
Protestant  Hospital  in  Rome,  and  this  has  absorbed  much 
time." 

On  June  28th,  1881,  he  wrote,  from  Bagni  di  Lucca,  to 
his  older  son,  a  student  at  Richmond  College: 

"  .  .  .  Sunday,  Mary  and  the  children  went  to 
meeting  (Episcopal  Church),  but  after  a  long  service,  at 
some  interval,  came  out,  not  knowing  if  there  would  be  a 

sermon.     We  laughed   at   them  very  much.      Mr.   , 

one  of  the  excellent  of  the  earth,  is  very  hard  to  hear,  as 
he  has  some  defect  in  his  vocal  organs.  Dr.  Gason  in- 
formed me  that  there  are  many  people  here  very  high 
church,  crossing  themselves  in  church.  He  asked  me  to 
hold  a  weekly  service,  which  I  told  him  I  would  gladly 
do.  I  do  not  connect  these  two  facts.  .  .  .  As  it  takes 
so  long  for  letters  to  go  and  come  I  wish  you  to  think 
early  and  write  me  about  your  University  ticket.  The 
only  thing  I  am  certain  you  ought  to  take  is  Junior 
Natural  Philosophy.  About  that  I  have  no  doubt.  Other 
things  depend  a  good  deal  on  your  taste  and  plans. 
Greek  would  help  you  for  your  Seminary  studies  should 
you  decide  to  go  to  the  Seminary.  Or  would  you  choose 
German,  which  will  be  always  a  help  to  you  on  the  Conti- 
nent ?  Or  Junior  Law  as  a  part  of  a  general  liberal  edu- 
cation ?" 

From  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles,  under  date  of  Leg- 


220  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

horn,  September  15th,  1881,  the  following  extract  is 
taken : 

''  .  .  .  I  get  books  from  London,  receiving  them 
bj  post.  I  have  bought  in  all  twenty  volumes  of  English 
Men  of  Letters.  I  have  read  this  summer  Lives  of  Cowper, 
Landon,  Goldsmith  and  Hawthorne,  and  have  now  on  hand 
Chaucer,  Pope  and  Shelley.  The  library  at  Bagni  di 
Lucca  is  also  very  good.  One  of  the  books  from  it  read 
by  me  was  'Two  Years  Before  the  Mast.'  I  was  induced 
to  read  it  by  the  fact  that  the  author,  Mr.  R.  H.  Dana, 
now  an  elderly  man,  was  at  the  Bagni,  and  he  and  we 
exchanged  calls.  I  have  also  read  two  of  Thackeray's 
novels.  I  read  very  few  novels  and  they  first  class. 
Thackeray's  are  such,  and,  rightly  read,  instructive  and 
useful. 

^'Xearly  all  of  August  I  was  away  from  home.  It  was 
a  delight  to  have  Susan  with  me — the  greater  that  only 
recently  has  she  felt  able  to  leave  the  little  ones.  It  was 
easier  this  time,  as  we  have  had  with  us  this  summer  a 
very  reliable  young  woman,  member  of  our  church  in 
Rome,  whom  we  took,  partly  from  kindness,  though  she 
helps  in  many  ways.  Travelling  alone,  and  in  such  good 
company,  I  find  very  different.  A  week  was  spent  in 
Torre  Pellice,  superintending  the  work,  and  attending  to 
the  business  of  our  new  chapel.  Another  week  we  were 
at  Bologna  and  Modena.  A  third  was  spent  at  Finis- 
trelle,  in  the  Alps.  Finistrelle  has  a  famous  old  fortress, 
the  scene  of  Picciola,  pronounced,  by  the  way,  with  ac- 
cent on  first  syllable,  and  not  on  second,  as  one  hears  it 
generally.     We  also  took  from  there  a  two  days'  jaunt 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       221 

higiiL'i-  still.  The  air  was  bracing,  and  I  found  great 
benefit  from  that  week's  trip,  and  jet  I  know  that  I  should 
not  have  taken  it  but  for  the  persistency  of  my  wife,  who 
is  ever  my  good  genius. 

''During  our  absence  from  home  the  startling  and  dis- 
tressing news  of  our  dear  sister  Sally's  death  reached  us. 
It  was  like  thunder  in  a  clear  sky.  My  wife  bears  up 
heroically,  but  few  can  understand  how  much  her  sister 
was  to  her,  and  it  is  a  heavy  blow.  It  is  so  also  to  me,  for 
not  only  was  she  so  lovely  in  herself,  but  she  was  one  of 
the  few  in  this  world  to  whom  I  felt  very,  very  near.  Her 
letters  were  regular  and  full  of  sympathy — like  ray 
mother's  or  Sister  Fannie's.  Her  life  for  years  has  been 
a  great  struggle,  but  now  she  is  at  rest.  .  .  .  She  took 
me  and  mine — all  my  family — to  her  heart.  Father 
knew  and  loved  her  before  T  did.  .  .  .  I  am  very 
busy,  specially  preparing  for  our  expected  evangelists' 
meeting  in  Milan  in  a  fortnight.  I  write  letters  till  I 
feel  like  a  writing  machine.  .  .  .  My  eyes  lately 
have  failed  rapidly.  I  cannot  use  them  at  night.  I  have 
lately  resorted  to  glasses  and  have  them  over  my  eyes 
and  nose  (bah!)  at  this  moment.  But  my  general  health 
is  improved.'' 

On  October  6th,  1881.  from  Pinerolo,  he  wrote  to  his 
son  George: 

"I  am  here,  en  route,  for  an  hour  or  so,  and  can  at  least 
begin  a  letter  to  you.  .  .  .  We  all  came  together  on 
the  27th  of  September  to  Pisa,  where  we  divided  into  three 
parties,  Leonora  to  Rome,  the  family  to  Bagni  di  Lucca 
and  I  to  Milano,  to  attend  our  General  Reunion  of  Evan- 


222  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

gelists.  Said  meeting  convened  on  the  28th  of  September. 
I  had  arranged  for  all  of  us  to  lodge  and  eat  together  at 
one  hotel,  viz.,  Hotel  Varese,  a  small  but  very  nice  hotel 
near  the  Duomo.  This  plan  was  carried  into  effect,  except 
that  I  had  a  nice  large  room  in  the  same  house  in  which 
is  Paschetto's  new  apartment.  Three  times  a  day  we  met 
at  the  same  table  and  to  excellent  meals.  Morning,  cajfe 
e  latte,  pane  e  hurro ;  midday,  antepasto,  soup,  two  courses 
of  meat,  cheese  or  fruit;  .  .  .  night  about  the 
same.  I  enjoyed  my  meals,  being  pretty  hard  worked  all 
the  time,  besides  the  walking  to  and  fro.  The  discus- 
sions in  the  meetings  were  lively,  sometimes  stormy,  and 
not  always  pleasant.  .  .  .  The  following  new  com- 
bination was  made:  Cocorda,  to  l^aples;  Colombo,  to 
Milan,  and    Paschctto  and    Torre,  to  Rome.     The  latter 

(T ),  who  met  the  brethren  for  the  first  time,  made 

a  fine  impression,  both  by  his  dignified  and  cordial 
manners,  and  by  his  eloquent  discourse.  I  hope  the  new 
arrangement  will  do  well,  and  specially  that  Rome  may 
be  blessed  in  the  two  new  brethren  that  go  there.  Brother 
Eager  took  little  part,  but  made  a  fine  impression.  To  me 
it  was  first  a  fatiguing  meeting,  as  for  several  nights  I 
did  not  get  to  bed  till  the  small  hours  of  the  night.  Then 
it  was  an  anxious  time.  I  came  out  at  the  end  feeling  as 
if  I  had  been  in  a  mill.  Finally,  the  weather  was  bad,  a 
steady  rain  with  a  penetrating  cold,  for  which  neither  my 
system  nor  my  wardrobe  was  prepared,  and,  of  course,  with 
so  much  cold  around  I  did  not  fail  to  take  some.  Behold 
my  iliad  of  woes!  I  was  to  have  gone  direct  to  Rome, 
but  received  a  telegram  from  Messrs.  Rowan  and  Taylor 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       223 

(two  Tennessee  and  Mississippi  Baptist  pastors,  who  have 
been  travelling  in  Italy  and  the  Orient)  that  they  would 
meet  me  in  Turin,  and  accompany  me  to  see  the  Torre 
Pellice  Chapel,  etc.  I  was  very  anxious  for  them  to  see 
it,  and  Ferraris,  believing  that  they  would  thereby  be 
induced  to  raise  us  a  good  purse  for  that  object.  I 
reached  the  hotel  in  Turin  last  evening,  and. found  that 
they  (after  waiting  some  hours)  had  given  me  up  and 
gone,  leaving  for  Paris  fifteen  minutes  before  the  arrival 
of  my  train,  which  was  forty  minutes  late.  Phansy  mi 
felins !  Being  so  near  I  decided  to  run  up  anyhow,  and 
here  I  am.  [This  letter  was  finished  at  Torre  Pellice, 
October  7th.]  There  is  little  more  to  tell.  I  came  on  here, 
yesterday,  riding  in  the  coupe.  It  was  very  cold.  I  got 
off  at  Ferraris'  house,  sending  on  my  valise  and  wraps. 
Ferraris  insisted  I  should  remain  with  them  all  night, 
which  I  did,  and  if  I  missed  some  of  the  ^ease  of  mine 
inn,'  I  had  other  comforts  in  kitchen  stove — a  bed  warmer 
(at  least  three  gallons  hot  water  in  a  large  tin  can),  and 
specially  the  loving  sympathy  which  I  needed,  and  which 
was  freely  extended.  The  chapel  has  made  much  progress 
since  your  mother  and  I  were  here.  The  campanile  is 
done,  and  adds  much  to  its  beauty.  The  chambers  over  the 
chapel  are  very  nice,  commanding  fine  views.  I  only 
hope  we  shall  get  the  money.     God  will  provide.'' 

From  Rome,  ^N^ovember  3rd,  1881,  he  wrote  to  his  son, 
a  student  at  the  University  of  Virginia: 

"...  When  the  Paschettos  came  we  tried  to  do 
a  good  part  by  them,  having  father,  mother  and  three 
children  to  spend  the  entire  day  with  us,  coming  to  break- 


224  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

fast  and  remaining  till  late  at  night.  The  same  day  the 
entire  Cocorda  family  dined  with  us,  and  then  we  accom- 
panied them  (your  mother,  Mary  and  I)  to  the  depot  about 
ten  at  night,  they  (i.  e.,  the  Cocordas)  leaving  for  their 
Naples  home.  Last  Sunday  we  had  all  the  Paschettos  to 
dinner.  Seldom  for  years  have  I  heard  so  much  children's 
noise  as  on  these  two  occasions.  My  children  are  all 
getting  to  be  young  gentlemen  and  ladies.  Perhaps  I 
would  more  regret  it,  but  I  am  nervous  and  disturbed 
by  a  great  hubbub,  more  than  when  I  was  thirty  or  forty. 
.  .  .  You  may  have  heard  of  the  conversion  of  Conte 
Enrico  Campello  to  Protestantism.  He  was  Canon  of 
St.  Peter's.  It  has  made  a  great  stir.  His  autobiography 
is  sold  at  all  the  stores  and  stalls,  and  has  been  reviewed 
in  all  the  newspapers  of  Italy.  For  the  last  two  days  I 
have  been  reading  it.  It  is  certainly  deeply  interesting, 
giving  one  an  inside  view  of  Pa])al  Rome.  The  view  is 
not  flattering,  though  he  writes  with  moderation." 

The  following  is  taken  from  a  letter  to  the  same  son,  and 
is  dated  Rome,  December  8th,  1881  : 

"...  Your  mother  holds  her  woman's  meetings 
now  on  the  premises.  It  is  very  convenient,  having  here 
a  large  spare  room,  which  can  be  used  for  many  such 
])urposes."     .     .     . 

Dr.  Taylor  was  "in  journeyings  often,"  and  the  follow- 
ing letter  tells  about  one  of  his  trips  among  the  churches. 
It  is  dated  Bologna,  June  3rd,  1882 : 

"...  I  wrote  to  you  from  Torre  Pellice  a  pretty 
full  postal  card.  I  left  there  last  Monday  at  four  in  the 
A.   M.,  and  came    without    stopping  to  Modena — a    hot, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       225 

terribly  dusty  run  of  twelve  hours.  I  had  the  great 
pleasure  of  aiding  in  Torre  Pellice  in  settling  a  difficulty 

between    F and    E (the    principal    members) 

which  had  long  been  a  great  stumbling  block.  I  feel  it 
a  blessed  thing  to  be  a  peacemaker.  ...  At  Modena 
I  made  junction  with  Brother  Eager,  and  we  have  been 
together  since  and  will  be  for  ten  days  longer.  One  day 
we  were  called  at  five,  and  with  Martinelli  went  to  Carpi, 
thence  in  carriage  to  S.  Possidonio  (ten  miles),  pausing 
half  an  hour  for  a  short  service  at  Rovereto.  At  S.  P. 
we  visited  an  aged  and  probably  dying  brother,  but  still 
full  of  energy  and  vim.  A  priest  had  intruded  upon  and 
was  worrying  him,  but  after  a  short  contest  was  soon  put 
to  flight.  We  reached  Carpi  to  dinner  at  2  p.  m.  ;  visited 
a  sick  sister  in  hospital;  held  services  from  4.30  to  6; 
reached  Modena  quite  tired,  but  happy  in  having  done  so 
good  a  day's  work.  .  .  .  The  most  disagreeable  part 
of  the  occasion  for  me  was  kissing  quite  a  lot  of  brethren 
not  much  adapted  to  be  kissed.     Save  the  mark. 

''On  reaching  Bologna,  we  found  the  walls  placarded 
concerning  our  coming,  and  we  have  had  two  fine,  and  I 
trust  useful,  meetings.  The  audiences  were  large  and 
attentive.  I  have  never  heard  Brother  Eager  speak  be- 
fore, but  really  he  is  beginning  to  speak  so  as  to  interest 
and  impress,  despite  mistakes  and  a  restricted  vocabulary. 
To-day  Brother  Basile  and  wife  and  daughter  dine  with 
us,  and  then  at  5  p.  m.  we  go  to  Venice." 

In  the  summer  of  1882  his  older  son  returned  to  Italy 
for  a  visit  of  a  year,  and  was  met  in  Berne  by  his  father. 
Together  they  made  a  pleasant  tour  in  Switzerland,  visit- 


226  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ing  Geneva,  Lausanne,  Interlaken,  Lucerne,  Zurich, 
Schaffhausen,  and  the  Righi.  Dr.  Taylor  had  not  been 
well  and  this  little  outing  greatly  refreshed  him.  He  was 
a  most  delightful  travelling  companion,  enthusiastic,  re- 
sourceful and  liberal  in  his  planning.  Rain  seriously 
marred  the  views  at  the  Righi,  Lucerne  and  the  Falls 
of  the  Rhine,  but  solace  was  found  in  books.  At  a  kiosk 
in  Lucerne  a  Tauchnitz  copy  of  Mark  Twain's  ''Tramp 
Abroad"  was  purchased,  and  many  of  the  descriptions 
Were  all  the  more  enjoyed  because  read  on  the  spot.  On 
the  fifth  floor  of  the  Righi  hotel,  one  read  while  the  other 
watched  the  clouds,  and  when  a  rift  gave  the  view  of  valley 
and  snow-clad  mountains,  the  book  was  closed  and  the 
fleeting  panorama  greedily  feasted  on.  Dr.  Taylor  was 
much  interested  in  the  numerous  fishermen  on  the  Lucerne 
bridges,  who  seemed  to  fish  unceasingly,  and  yet  never 
were  seen  to  catch  anything;  Mark  Twain^s  story  about 
"The  Man  Who  Put  up  at  Grigsby's"  was  very  a  propos. 
At  Schaffhausen,  as  valises  had  been  left  in  Zurich,  the 
danger  of  catching  cold  from  wet  feet,  after  the  tramp 
to  the  falls,  was  avoided — thanks  to  a  little  German  shop 
where  dry  socks  were  purchased,  and  to  the  landlord  who 
loaned  big  slippers  while  shoes  were  dried  in  the  hotel 
kitchen. 

The  following  spring,  after  a  winter  in  which  all  the 
family  had  been  together,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  celebrated 
the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  their  wedding.  It  was  a 
quiet  but  very  pleasant  occasion.  The  children  united 
in  presenting  to  their  parents  some  silverware,  and  along 
with  it  twenty-five  white  roses.     During  the  summer  of 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       227 

1883,  spent  at  Bagni  di  Lucca,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  had 
the  great  ])leasure  of  visits  from  their  brother,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
J.  B.  Taylor ;  their  niece,  Miss  Janie  T.  Prichard ;  and 
Miss  Maud  Constant,  an  American  friend.  The  circle  at 
Casa  Bertini  that  summer  was  a  very  happy  one,  and  little 
did  we  dream  that  in  less  than  a  year  the  death  angel 
would  come  with  its  shadow.  The  same  summer  Dr. 
Taylor,  with  several  of  the  children,  made  a  pedestrian 
trip  to  see  the  Eagers,  who  were  staying  near  Pracchia, 
Mr.  Eager  returning  with  them  for  a  visit  to  Casa  Bertini. 
On  this  tramp,  going  through  the  long  tunnel  under  the 
Apennines,  with  a  man  carrying  a  great  torch,  proved  a 
thrilling  experience.  Anything  that  had  adventure  and 
romance  appealed  to  Dr.  Taylor.  The  following  letter 
to  his  brother,  under  date  of  August  15th,  alludes  to  this 
excursion : 

*'We  have  had  a  very  cool  summer  but  it  is  now  quite 
warm,  though  we  manage  to  keep  comfortable.  We  have 
plenty  of  vegetables,  fruit,  fresh  butter,  milk  and  eggs, 
though  we  cannot  get  them  from  our  own  cow  and  garden 
and  poultry  yard  as  you  do.  But  I  often  feel  like  saying 
that  as  regards  worldly  goods  ^I  have  all  and  abound;  I 
have  need  of  nothing.'  Spiritually,  I  usually  feel 
straitened,  but  it  is  my  own  fault,  since  'My  God  is  able 
to  supply  every  need  according  to  His  riches  in  glory  in 
Christ  Jesus.'  I  am  now  reading  Life  of  MacCheyne  and 
find  it  a  truly  charming  book,  specially  stimulating  to  a 
minister, 

' 'Janie  may  have  told  you  of  our  pedestrian  excursion 
(part  of  it  a  la  Mark  Twain)  to  see  Mr.  Eager,  and  of  his 


228  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

return,  and  of  the  presence  in  our  household  of  an  Italian 
evangelist.  ...  I  only  add  that  we  are  under  the 
shadow  of  George's  expected  departure,  specially  as  we 
can  form  no  idea  of  when  we  may  see  him  again." 

The  Italian  Mission  never  left  Dr.  Taylor  any  long 
period  without  some  ])erplexing  problem.  Take  for 
example  the  matter  alluded  to  in  the  following  letter  from 
Rome.  Signor  Cocorda  had  been  in  Rome  and  then  in 
Naples : 

''To-day  I  had  Sunday  school;  then  the  usual  morn- 
ing meeting ;  baptism ;  then  a  somewhat  painful  church 
meeting.  Signor  Cocorda  has  embraced  the  doctrine  of 
^Conditional  Immortality,'  and  th(^  Board  has  decided 
(as  they  were  obliged  to  do)  that  they  could  not  support 
him  to  preach  the  annihilation  of  the  unbelieving  after 
death  (or  the  judgment).  For  several  months  the  thing 
has  given  me  trouble  and  anxiety.  I  sent  the  Board  the 
correspondence  on  which  they  based  their  action.  To- 
day, being  about  to  leave,  I  presented  the  Board's  de- 
cision to  the  church.  One  of  the  brethren  specially,  who 
had  partly  imbibed  the  doctrine  in  question,  spoke  very 
severely.  But  I  was  enabled  to  answer  with  warmth, 
without  transcending  due  limits,  and  several  of  the 
brethren  sustained  me  and  the  Board,  and  then  that 
brother  retracted  what  he  had  said.  I  trust  all  may  be 
overruled  for  good.  We  have  just,  by  the  Board's  per- 
mission, appointed,  as  our  evangelist.  Brother  IN'icholas 
Papengouth,  a  graduate  of  Spurgeon's  College,  and 
hitherto  laboring  with  his  father  in  ITaples. 

"To-night  I  preached  on  counting  the  cost  before  be- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       229 

ginning  to  build  a  tower,  and  am  just  up  from  the  service, 
dead  tired.'' 

For  several  years  the  family  spent  part  of  each  Septem- 
ber in  Leghorn,  where,  for  a  most  modest  cost,  delightful 
bathing  was  enjoyed.  Italians  leave  the  seaside  by  the 
calendar  rather  than  according  to  the  weather.  So  the 
31st  of  August  sees  an  exodus,  though  the  bathing  may 
continue  fine  for  weeks.  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  son  from 
Leghorn,  September  24th,  1883 : 

''  .  .  .  For  a  couple  of  days  we  have  been  ad- 
miring the  waves  breaking  on  the  rocks,  and  throwing  up 
their  beautiful  spray,  and  the  same  time  suffering  the 
inconvenience  of  the  wind  banging  blinds,  breaking  win- 
dows, and  filling  our  eyes  with  dust.  Fortunately  there 
was  no  rain ;  on  the  contrary,  bright  sunshine  all  the  time. 
We  lost  no  bath  except  yesterday,  when  we  would  not 
have  bathed  anyhow.  To-day  all  is  calm  again  and  the 
bathing  very  pleasant.  .  .  .  Yesterday  Miss  Con- 
stant, Janie,  the  children  and  I  went  to  church,  morning 
and  evening.  The  latter  service  was  on  Anchor  Line 
steamship  ^Olympia.'  I  followed  the  sermon  in  a  short 
exhortation  and  prayer.  It  was  quite  romantic — the  trip ; 
and  it  was  9.30  p.  m.  when  we  reached  home.  I  enjoyed 
both  sermons  yesterday.  The  text  at  night  was:  ^A  man 
shall  be  a  hiding  place  from  the  storm.' '' 

The  following  letter  to  his  wife  gives  an  account  of  a 
visit  to  Torre  Pellice.  It  is  dated  Turin,  October  9th, 
1883: 

"In  my  last  I  mentioned  meeting  Brother  James  in 
this  city.    The  next  morning,  i.  e.,  Friday  morning,  he  and 


230  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

I  went  first  to  Pinerolo  and  then  to  Torre  Pellice.  At 
Pinerolo  we  remained  five  or  six  hours,  and  though 
neither  Ferraris  nor  his  family  was  at  home,  we  passed  a 
pleasant  time  walking  about,  and  at  a  restaurant,  talking, 
writing,  seeing.  Happily  it  was  a  glorious  day,  with 
bright  sunshine  and  bracing  air,  so  that  it  was  a  luxury 
to  be  out  of  doors.  We  also  found  much  to  interest  in  an 
extensive  cavalry  exercise  in  a  field  kept  for  that  pur- 
pose. All  the  mountains  around  were  covered  with  snow 
which  glistened  in  the  sunshine.  We  had  taken  third- 
class  tickets,  but  as  a  large  number  of  youth  from  Torre 
Pellice  and  vicinity  had  come  to  Pinerolo  to  ^draw'  for 
the  army,  and  were  returning  hilarious  and  uproarious, 
we  fled  to  second  class.  We  reached  Torre  Pellice  about 
dark,  and  got  a  large  double-bedded  room  in  the  Orso. 
Early  the  next  morning  T  went,  before  breakfast,  to  find 
the  contractor,  and  let  him  know  that  I  was  ready  to 
settle.  It  was  arranged  that  he  and  Signor  Cocorda  should 
meet  me  later  at  the  hotel.  While  Brother  James  and  I 
were  enjoying  our  caffe  e  latte,  fresh  eggs  and  grissini,  in 
walked  Signor  Basile  (!)  just  from  Xaples. 
After  breakfast  we  three,  and  soon  after  with  Signor 
Cocorda  also,  proceeded  to  inspect  the  chapel  and  apart- 
ment. .  .  .  The  enclosure  is  very  neat  and  adds 
much  to  the  general  effect.  A  wall  is  surmounted  by  an 
iron  railing,  and  there  are  two  iron  railing  gates,  one  for 
the  chapel   and  the  other  for  the   apartment.      We  then 

returned  to  see  about  a  settlement.      Signor  C had 

failed  to  make  a  contract,  and  between  him  and  the  con- 
tractor there  was  complete  contradiction.     .     .     .     But  I 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       231 

made  the  best  settlement  I  could  and  had  no  worry,  having 

already  had  it  for  a  month  before.     Signor  C ,  Basile, 

James  and  I  dined  together.     One  dish  was  chamois,  for 
which    James  and    I   agreed  we    should  never    hanker. 

Afterwards  we  went  up  to  Signor  C 's  and  ate  grapes. 

By  Sunday  morning  Signor  Paschetto  and  Signor 
Ferraris  were  on  hand.  ...  I  preached  at  the  morn- 
ing service,  which  was  largely  attended,  and  after  opening 
services  delivered  a  somewhat  lengthy  address  of  explana- 
tion as  to  what  had  occurred,  the  state  of  things,  and  the 
plans  for  the  future.  I  spoke  in  Italian  and  got  through 
very  satisfactorily  with  a  duty  which  T  had  much  dreaded. 
Brother  Paschetto  interpreted  in  French  that  all  might 
understand.  1  then  introduced  Basile,  who  said  a  few 
words.  Then  we  were  going  to  sing  and  have  addresses 
from  Paschetto  and  Ferraris,  when  lo !  and  behold 
Monsieur  Peterval  [a  harmless  but  half-crazy  man]  rose 
and  began  to  speak.  T  tried  to  get  him  to  cease,  but  he 
became  very  much  excited,  and  very  rude,  and  seemed 
ready  to  strike  me ;  others  tried  to  silence  him,  but  he  had 
his  way  and  said  his  say.  Afterwards,  however,  he  begged 
my  pardon  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  meeting  hugged  and  kissed  me  before  all ! 
After  him,  the  other  brethren  spoke,  including  Signor 
Cocorda.  ...  In  the  p.  m.  we  had  a  meeting  of  the 
brethren  of  the  church  in  which  some  disagreeable  things 
were  said,  and  a  bad  spirit  was  manifested. 
Paschetto  helped  me  very  much.  ...  It  was  a  try- 
ing meeting  and  gave  me  much  pain.  ...  I  leave  all 
in  God's  hands.     ...     It  was  a  mercv  that  we  had  fine 


232  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

weather  at  Torre  Pellice,  and  Brother  James  was  great 
company,  and  a  great  comfort  to  me.    We  came  yesterday 

by  the  earliest  train  to  this  place,  and  Brother  J went 

directly  on  to  Paris.'' 

Miss  Janie  T.  Prichard,  Dr.  Taylor's  niece,  returned 
to  Rome  with  her  uncle's  family  to  spend  the  winter  with 
them ;  and  Miss  Constant,  who  has  been  mentioned  already, 
was  also  in  Home  the  whole  winter. 

In  March,  very  suddenly  a  great  affliction  befell  Dr. 
Taylor  and  his  children.  After  an  illness  of  only  a  day 
or  two  Mrs.  Taylor  died  early  on  the  morning  of  March 
7th,  1884.  The  same  day  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  older 
son,  a  student  at  the  Southern  Ba])tist  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Louisville,  Ky. : 

''0  my  dear  son,  how  can  I  tell  you  the  sad,  dreadful 
truth — may  God  help  you  to  bear  it — your  precious  mother 
left  us  this  morning.  AVe  will  see  her  no  more  below, 
but  above,  where  hearts  never  ache  as  mine  does  now,  and 
as  yours  reading  these  lines.  My  heart  aches  specially 
for  you.  And  in  all  my  prayers  in  these  terrible  hours 
and  days  I  have  remembered  you.  What  you  feared  might 
come  has  come.  But  it  has  not  come  without  God's  will- 
ing it.  I  know  no  real  comfort  in  such  a  moment  save 
that.  May  we  both  say  what  Jesus  said  in  Gethsemane: 
'Not  my  will.  Father,  but  Thine  be  done.'  This  is  our 
hour  of  agony.  An  angel — ^yea,  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  come 
to  sustain  us.  [N'ot  only  the  event,  but  all  its  details,  we 
know  that  He  who  is  infinite  in  wisdom  and  tenderness 
has  wisely  and  kindly  ordered,  however  dark  all  now 
seems  to  us.      I  will  now  try  to  tell  you  everything  as 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       233 

best  I  can.  Monday  p.  m.  I  had  to  go  to  a  meeting  of 
Evangelical  Alliance  Committee  and  proposed  to  your 
mother  to  ride  out  and  take  the  children;  which  she  did, 
and  said  on  returning  that  she  had  enjoyed  the  ride  so 
much.  She  did  not  think  she  took  cold  on  the  ride,  but 
that  night  felt  cold  and  chilly,  and  hastened  to  bed.  The 
next  day  she  sat  up  in  bed  and  sewed,  partly  I  think  on  a 
dress  for  Janie  but  principally  in  finishing  a  pair  of 
slippers  which  she  had  been  making  for  you  to  send  to 
you  by  Janie.  .  .  .  Wednesday  morning  your  mother 
said  she  had  slept  badly  or  not  at  all.  Difficult  respira- 
tion. ...  In  the  meantime  she  had  begun  to  suffer 
more  with  her  throat,  and,  as  the  doctor  was  slow  coming, 
I  administered  a  mild  emetic  on  my  own  responsibility, 
which  gave  her  decided  relief.  .  .  .  Dr.  Gason  came 
again  at  11,  i.  e.,  Wednesday  night,  and  for  the  first  time, 
as  far  as  I  know,  pronounced  the  symptoms  grave.  T 
went  off  to  rest,  being  very  tired,  but  I  felt  too  sad  to 
sleep  much.  .  .  .  They  decided  to  call  Professor 
Mazzoni,  a  most  eminent  surgeon,  who  came  immediately, 
and  performed  the  operation  known  as  tracheotomy — cut- 
ting the  windpipe.  Your  mother  accepted  it  with  the 
courage  and  fortitude  which  were  so  peculiarly  hers — 
indeed  she  said,  ^Anything  to  relieve  me  and  to  save  my 
life.^  The  operation  succeeded  and  considerable  relief 
was  secured.  ...  At  five  they  called  us  and  we  went 
with  Spotswood.  In  half  an  hour  or  less  she  breathed 
her  last.     The  death  was  perfectly  peaceful,  which  but 

for    the  operation  it    could  not  have  been.      Dr.  G 

and  Mrs.  Adams  said  up  to  a  few  moments  before  that 


234  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

they  thought  she  was  doing  well,  even  improving.  . 
It  hurt  her  to  speak.  But  often  she  signed  .  .  .  and 
again  and  again  she  gave  an  expressive  smile.  The  last 
audible  words  were  'Pray  for  me/  and  before  the  operation 
she  said,  'Jesus  will  help  me.'  .  .  .  Our  brethren 
and  sisters  loved  her  and  admired  her,  and  she  loved  them. 
I  commenced  this  this  morning  and  now  finish 
at  7.30  p.  M.  I  have  been  interrupted  scores  of  times 
and  have  had  so  many  things  to  think  of  and  attend  to. 
Part  of  the  day  I  have  been  overwhelmed,  but  part  I  am 
strangely  calm.      I   walk   in   a   dream.     ..." 

Mrs.  Taylor's  death  was  tragic  in  its  suddenness,  and 
the  grief  among  Italian  evangelicals  and  English  and 
Americans  in  Rome  was  deep  and  general.  A  corre- 
spondent of  the  American  Register,  a  secular  paper,  said : 

''Mrs.  Taylor's  death  was  quite  sudden  and  unexpected, 
and  outside  of  her  own  family  the  community  of  English 
and  Americans  and  other  Protestant  Christians  at  Rome 
will  sadly  miss  one  who  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her." 

With  that  unselfishness  which  characterized  him,  Dr. 
Taylor  wrote  long  and  promptly  to  his  son  far  away  the 
most  minute  details  concerning  these  days  of  sorrow,  and 
his  letters  overflowed  with  the  tenderest  love  and  most 
childlike  faith  in  God.  Pages  would  not  suffice  to  give 
all  the  matchless  letters  which  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  at  this 
time  even  to  his  son ;  but  space  forbids,  and,  moreover,  into 
the  sacred  place  of  such  a  sorrow,  perhaps  none  save  the 
nearest  and  dearest  ought  to  go.  For  the  children  these 
letters  are  "a  possession  forever,"  and  to  the  beautiful 
life  and  lovely  character  of  their  mother  give  a  halo  and  a 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       235 

benediction.  The  line  from  Milton  on  her  tombstone  gives 
some  idea  of  what  she  was  to  her  husband,  her  children, 
her  loved  ones,  her  friends,  all  who  knew  her: 

**  Love,  sweetness,  goodness  in  her  person  shined." 

On  March  28th,  1884,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  older  son : 

^'It  is  three  weeks  this  morning  since  our  beloved  one 
went  home.  ...  I  can  hardly  tell  you  how  I  have 
gotten  on,  so  varied  have  been  my  experiences.  The  be- 
reavement is  hardly  ever  absent  from  me  for  any  length 
of  time,  but  often  it  does  not  seem  a  real  thing,  but  only 
a  dark,  dreadful  dream  from  which  I  have  awakened.  At 
other  moments  the  sense  of  desolation  is  overpowering,  and 
then  again  my  heart  simply  hungers  for  her. 
You  are  remembered  by  us  many  times  a  day,  and  I 
believe  by  many  others.  Luther  said  three  things  make  a 
minister:  prayer,  temptation  and  affliction.  And  Paul,  in 
the  beginning  of  his  second  letter  to  the  Corinthians,  tells 
how  we  receive  comfort  that  we  may  be  able  to  comfort 
others.  I  remember  hearing  a  sermon  from  Dr.  Reynolds 
when  I  was  a  boy,  on  the  text  ^It  is  good  for  a  man  to  bear 
the  yoke  in  his  youth.'  It  was  a  beautiful  and  excellent 
sermon  and  made  an  impression  on  me  which  I  have  not 
yet  forgotten.  .  .  .  Mary  is  unselfish  and  efiicient, 
just  like  her  mother.    She  and  Janie  are  a  great  blessing." 

Upon  Mrs.  Taylor's  death  Miss  Janie  T.  Prichard  gave 
up  her  purpose  of  returning  to  America  in  order  to  help 
in  Dr.  Taylor's  home,  with  the  children  and  in  the  house- 
keeping. 


236  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

On  April  18th,  1884,  from  Kome,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to 
his  son: 

'^  .  .  .  Be  sure,  my  dear  George,  I  mean  to  take 
care  of  myself.  I  rise  earlier,  .  .  .  bathe  partially 
with  cold  water,  study  and  write  at  a  high  desk,  and  mean 
to  try  to  live,  as  far  as  it  depends  on  me.  And  delicate 
people  sometimes  do  live  on  in  spite  of  their  frailties. 
The  great  thing  is  to  live  right  and  to  be  ready  to  go. 
.  .  .  Sometimes  my  loneliness  and  depression  are  over- 
powering, but  I  have  resolved  to  go  on  bravely  and  do  my 
work  as  best  I  can,  with  God's  help." 

From  Turin,  May  10th,  1884,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his 
son.  ]^o  formal  good  was  accomplished  by  the  Florence 
meeting  described  in  this  letter : 

"...  Monday,  April  29th,  I  went  to  Florence 
to  attend  an  assembly  called  by  our  Intermissionary  Com- 
mittee to  consider  if  the  denominations  could  get  nearer 
together  either  in  spirit,  or  form,  or  both  (and  cooperate 
on  certain  works),  and  to  promote  the  same.  Mr.  Eager 
and  I  stayed  at  Hotel  Cavour,  a  much  finer  house  than  I 
had  intended  to  patronize.  However,  I  ate  only  two  meals 
there,  and  they  were  simple  ones.  The  entire  Assembly 
dined  together  every  day  at  one  o'clock,  some  kind  lady 
having  provided  the  means.  Besides,  I  dined  one  even- 
ing at  Mr.  McDougall's,  where  all  is  elegant.  The  meet- 
ings were  very  pleasant  and,  I  believe,  useful,  and  that 
steps  were  taken  which  must  bring  about  a  closer  union, 
in  fact  if  not  in  form.  I  enjoyed  much  the  good  fellow- 
ship, and  the  diversion  of  mind  into  new  and  less  painful 
channels  of  thought.     .     .     .     But  I  must  mention  one 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       237 

incident  of  the  Florence  days.     An  American  gentleman, 
'  member  of  Mr.  McDougall's  church,  was  ill,  and  he  (Mc- 

D )  asked  Mr.  Eager  and  myself  to  go  and  see  him, 

which,  of  course,  we  gladly  did  and  found  him  sitting  up 
and  alone,  hut  in  great  pain  and  needing  help.  An  un- 
successful operation  had  been  performed.  We  stayed  some 
little  time,  doing  what  we  could.  He  seemed  full  of  plans 
and  hopes,  though  a  pious  man,  but  the  cold,  cold  sweat 
on  his  brow  made  me  feel  that  he  was  dying.     I  begged 

Mr.  McD to  send  help,  and  it  was  done,  as  had  been 

already  arranged,  and  early  in  the  morning  he  died.  .  . 
^^We  had  expected  to  install  ITicholas  Papengouth  in 
Milan  Sunday,  but  he  arrived  too  late.  .  .  .  Last 
Monday  I  came  to  Turin.  Tuesday  I  spent  at  the  Exposi- 
tion. The  display  is  fine,  but  it  was  a  sad  day,  many- 
things  conspiring  to  give  me  a  fresh  sense  of  my  great 
loss.  Wednesday  the  meeting  of  our  evangelists  came  off. 
We  were  in  session  from  9.30  a.  m.  to  nearly  midnight, 
with  brief  intervals  of  rest.  The  services  were  pleasant, 
and  I  trust  good  was  done.  We  agreed  on  a  plan  for 
insuring  the  lives  of  evangelists  for  the  benefit  of  their 
widows  and  orphans.  It  was  also  arranged,  with  our 
approval,  for  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  cooperate 
with  Mr.  Eager  and  myself  in  the  management  of  affairs. 
Thursday  and  Friday  (yesterday)  the  Baptist  Union  was 
in  session,  and  a  good  spirit  prevailed,  and  many  things 
were  set  on  foot ;  among  others  a  periodical  for  the  defense 
of  Baptist  principles,  some  four  hundred  lire  being  sub- 
scribed   to  start  it,   also    a  Baptist  hymn-book.       It  was 


238  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

encouraging  to  see  twenty-five  Baptist  ministers  engaged, 
and  with  so  much  zeal  and  good  feeling,  in  planning  for 
future  work.  I  trust  that  there  is  a  better,  brighter  day 
for  the  evangelicals — yes,  and  for  the  Baptists  of  Italy." 

The  next  letter,  while  written  from  Rome,  concerns  a 
visit  to  Torre  Pellice  on  the  same  trip  referred  to  above. 
It  is  to  his  son : 

''  .  .  .  I  spent  Lord's  Day  in  Torre  Pellice. 
I  attended  two  services  at  our  chapel  and  spoke 
at  one.  .  .  .  The  congregations  were  very  encourag- 
ing.    ...     At  present  Signor  O.  C not  only  holds 

numerous  preaching  services,  but  is  trying  to  form  a 
church  on  the  basis  of  Coyiditional  Immortality  and 
Sabbatarianism.  ...  I  have  been  thinking  for 
several  days  of  to-day,  the  13th  of  May  and  the  twenty- 
sixth  anniversary  of  our  wedding.  One  year  ago,  she 
and  you  and  all  of  us  celebrated  the  silver  wedding. 
Ah!  how  little  we  dreamed  what  would  come  before 
another  year.  How  fresh  is  my  vision  of  her  as,  twenty- 
six  years  ago  to-day,  she  came  in  her  youthful,  virginal 
loveliness  'as  a  bride  prepared  for  her  husband.'  I 
always  admired  her,  and  to  me,  in  her  better  moments,  she 
had  all  her  girlish  beauty.  As  I  passed  Pisa  last  night 
at  midnight,  I  remembered  my  parting  with  her  last 
October ;  her  eyes  were  so  beautiful  and  tender  and  beam- 
ing with  love,  that  it  deeply  affected  me,  and  I  wrote 
her  of  it  in  my  first  letter.  I  did  appreciate  her,  yet  now 
I  feel  that  were  she  back  again  I  should  appreciate  her 
even  more.     Alas !  mine  now  is  to  be  but  a  maimed  life, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOABDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       239 

but  God  forbid  that  I  should  murmur.  I  have  you  and 
the  dear  children.  I  remember  so  well  when  each  was 
born,  and  gather  each  of  you  afresh  to  my  heart.  And 
Jesus  is  precious  though  I  know  that  He  might  be  more 
to  me  than  He  is.     Alas  for  my  poor,  sinful  heart!" 

His  letters  described  not  only  all  his  own  life  but 
touched  with  helpfulness  the  lives  of  those  to  whom  he 
wrote,  especially  his  nearest  and  dearest.  It  is  simply 
impossible  to  give  all  the  words  of  wise  and  loving  counsel 
he  addressed  to  his  children,  but  the  following  to  his  son, 
who  was  preparing  for  the  ministry,  must  not  be  left  out : 

^'  .  .  .  I  wish  to  beg  you,  while  doing  your  work 
faithfully,  to  avoid  worry.  This  last  does  not  glorify  God 
or  add  to  one's  usefulness,  but  the  reverse,  while  it  does 
drain  fearfully  one's  vital  energies.  May  you  be  able  to 
combine  the  greatest  earnestness  with  a  heart  at  rest  in 
the  attributes  and  promises  of  God.  ...  I  remember 
a  prayer  of  your  mother's,  that  we  might  so  commit 
everything  to  God  as  to  feel  a  sweet  carelessness  as  to 
results.  It  impressed  me  as  equally  just  and  beautiful, 
and  though  she  used  the  expression  more  than  a  dozen 
years  ago  it  is  fresh  in  my  memory.  .  .  .  Do  not 
take  your  life  hard.  Preach  and  visit  in  humble  depend- 
ence on  the  divine  guidance,  and  confident  of  His  life- 
giving  blessing  upon  your  work." 

In  the  summer  of  1884,  Dr.  Taylor,  carrying  out  a  plan 
he  and  his  wife  had  thought  of,  wrote  to  Dr.  John  A. 
Broadus,  saying  that  he  would  be  willing  to  go  for  two 
years  to  the  University  of  Virginia,   as  chaplain,  if  the 


240  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

faculty  cared  to  have  him  fill  that  place.     The  following 
extracts,  in  regard  to  this  matter,  explain  themselves: 

"The  Ui^^iveesity  of  Virginia, 

"June  24th,  1884. 
"Rev.  G.  B.  Taylor,  D.  D., 

"Dear  Sir  and  Brother:  On  learning  a  week  or  two  ago 
that  you  would  probably  be  willing  to  become  our 
University  chaplain  at  the  next  term,  I  took  the  liberty 
of  consulting  ^vith  several  of  my  colleagues  about  it  and, 
having  their  approval,  I  laid  the  matter  before  the  faculty 
at  their  last  meeting.  Although  far  in  advance  of  the 
usual  time  for  an  election,  they  at  once  embraced  the 
opportunity,  and  you  were  formally  elected  chaplain  for 
the  ensuing  term  with  a  cordiality  and  a  unanimity  that 
could  not  possibly  be  surpassed,  and  I  was  authorized  to 
communicate  the  fact  to  you,  asking  for  a  definite  response 
when  it  may  suit  your  convenience.  The  prospect  of 
having  you  with  us,  and  in  this  intimate  relation,  is  a 
matter  of  general  congratulation.  .  .  .  Will  you 
allow  me  to  add  that  amidst  the  general  congratulation 
there  is  a  deep  note  of  sorrow  that  you  return  alone. 
Every  one  says,  ^Alas  that  Mrs.  Taylor  is  not  to  be  with 
us  too!'  For  myself  and  my  wife  it  is  a  special  source  of 
sorrow,  for  we  learned  not  only  to  admire  but  also  the 
easy  lesson  to  love  her,  and  our  hearty  sympathies  are 
with  you  in  your  great  loss.  You  will  not  be  less  welcome 
to  our  hearts  and  homes,  and  I  pray  God  to  direct  and 
bless  your  coming.     .     .     . 

"Truly  your  friend  and  brother, 

":N'oah  K  Davis." 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       241 

Dr.  Taylor  replied: 

'^LucERNA — S.  Giovanni,  Italy, 

''July  13tli,  1884. 
^Trof.  N.  K.  Davis, 

''University  of  Virginia. 
"My  dear  Sir  and  Brother:  I  have  received  your  kind 
letter  of  June  24th,  communicating  the  action  of  the 
faculty  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  electing  me  chap- 
lain for  the  next  term.  It  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to 
accept  the  position,  and  as  soon  as  I  receive  the  consent  of 
the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  which  I  have  no  doubt  will 
be  cheerfully  given,  I  shall  send  my  formal  acceptance. 
I  was  aware  that  the  next  term  does  not  begin  till  October, 
1885,  but  in  writing  to  Dr.  Broadus  of  my  willingness 
to  have  my  name  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  chap- 
laincy, I  did  not  anticipate  so  prompt  action.  Besides,  I 
desired  that,  if  elected,  it  might  be  without  rivalry,  as 
my  relation  to  Southern  Baptist  ministers  is  delicate  and, 
moreover,  I  wished  time  in  order  to  consult  the  Foreign 
Mission  Board  and  make  needed  arrangements,  and  to 
leave  ample  opportunity  for  selecting  another  chaplain 
in  case  I  could  not  go.  I  heartily  thank  the  faculty  for 
the  exception  made  in  my  case  of  an  early  election,  and 
also  for  the  cordiality  with  which  it  was  made.  My  own 
feeling  for  the  University  of  Virginia  has  always  been 
a  blending  of  admiration  and  affection,  and  to  be  its  chap- 
lain is  for  me  both  an  honor  and  a  privilege. 
Yes,  it  will  be  unutterably  sad  to  return  home  without 
my  wife,  but  it  is  unutterably  sad  to  remain  here  or 
indeed  to  live  at  all  without  her.     .     .     .     One  comfort 


242  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

in  going  home  will  be  that  I  shall  be  carrying  out  her 
wishes  in  regard  to  our  children,  who  in  every  way  need 
the  change.  I  have  no  other  plan  than  after  filling  my 
term  to  return  to  Italy  and  end  my  days  here.  I  cannot 
sufficiently  thank  you  for  your  kindness  in  the  matter.'' 

Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  Dr.  Tupper,  the  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board: 

"My  dear  Brother :  It  was  the  conviction  of  my  wife 
and  myself  that  a  prolonged  visit  of  our  family  to  the 
United  States  was  desirable,  specially  in  view  of  the 
physical,  intellectual  and  social  needs  of  our  children. 
We  also  thought  that  it  might  be  a  wise  and  desirable 
arrangement,  both  as  regards  the  Board  and  ourselves, 
for  me  to  accept,  if  appointed,  the  next  Baptist  chaplaincy 
at  the  University  of  Virginia.  As  these  needs  were  at 
least  not  diminished  by  the  death  of  my  wife,  I  wrote  in 
the  latter  part  of  May  to  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus,  authorizing 
him,  if  as  a  friend  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board  and  of 
the  University  of  Virginia  he  thought  well  of  it,  to  mention 
my  name  as  next  Baptist  chaplain.  I  have  now  the  honor 
of  enclosing  a  copy  of  Professor  Davis's  letter  informing 
me  of  my  election,  and  a  copy  of  my  own  letter  expressing 
my  desire  to  accept  the  position,  provided  the  Board 
consent.  I  trust  the  Board  will  see  no  obstacle  in  the 
way.  If  they  do,  I  am  quite  ready  heartily  to  renounce 
the  project.  Should  the  way  be  open,  my  plan  would 
be  to  have  leave  of  absence  without  salary,  say  for  twenty 
or  twenty-four  months,  with  the  understanding  that  at  the 
end  of  the  time  I  return  to  Italy,  unless  some  grave  reason 
interpose,  affecting  either  the  Board  or  myself.     .     .     . 


243 

Confiding  implicitly  in  the  wisdom  and  love  of  the  Board, 
I  submit  the  matter  without  other  words." 

As  will  be  seen  from  what  follows,  the  plan  for  the 
return  to  the  United  States  and  the  University  of  Virginia 
was  in  due  time  carried  out.  The  summer  of  1884  was 
spent  in  the  Waldensian  Valleys,  Miss  Prichard  still 
being  one  of  the  little  circle.  During  the  summer  a  pen- 
written  paper,  called  ^'The  Holiday  Herald,"  was  issued 
from  week  to  week,  and,  besides  other  things,  contained  the 
poems  and  essays  and  stories  which  were  submitted  in 
contests  for  prizes  offered  by  first  one  and  then  another. 
Dr.  Taylor  entered  most  enthusiastically  into  this  plan, 
which  proved  profitable  to  the  young  people,  and  pleasant 
for  all.  Early  in  the  fall  Mary,  the  older  daughter,  went 
to  Leipsic,  Germany,  to  spend  the  winter  in  study,  and 
Dr.  Taylor's  niece  returned  with  him  and  the  family  to 
Rome,  to  take  charge  of  the  housekeeping  and  look  after 
the  children.  The  next  letters  show  Dr.  Taylor  en  route 
for  the  United  States,  and  the  University  of  Virginia. 
During  Dr.  Taylor's  absence  in  America,  Dr.  Eager  had 
charge  of  the  Italian  work. 

On  July  7th,  1885,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  from  11  Charter- 
house Square,  London,  to  his  brother  James : 

"...  After  a  pleasant  week  in  Leipsic,  varied 
by  a  day  in  Dresden,  and  a  not  important  attack  of  sick- 
ness, I  came  on  with  my  trio,  visiting  the  haunts  of 
Goethe,  Schiller  and  Luther.  A  few  hours  were  given 
to  Weimar,  where  the  two  former  lived,  and  a  couple  of 
days  (one  being  Lord's  Day)  to  Eisenach  and  the  Wart- 
burg.    Then  we  came  here  by  way  of  Frankfort,  the  Rhine, 


244  LIFE    AI^D    LETTERS    OF 

Cologne,  Brussels  and  Antwerp.  To  afford  this,  we  took 
to  Dresden,  and  as  far  as  Cologne,  third-class  trains  and 
third-class  hotels,  which  in  Germany  are  very  inexpensive, 
while  often  we  simply  picnicked  in  the  train  or  in  third- 
class  waiting  rooms  on  sandwiches.  All  this  is  rather  to 
my  taste,  though  the  railroading  in  third  class  is  rather 
fatiguing.  We  had  a  goodly  number  of  heavy  bundles 
to  carry  and  deposit,  and  we  must  often  have  presented 
a  queer,  not  to  say  ridiculous,  a])pearance.  .  .  .  We 
are  at  a  very  quiet  little  place  do^vn  town,  within  four  or 
five  minutes  of  the  roar  of  the  metropolis,  and  yet  as 
secluded  as  if  in  the  depths  of  a  forest.  In  front  is  a 
little  park  or  square,  open  only  to  those  living  or  stopping 
on  this  square.  This  p.  m.  a  policeman  let  us  in  and  let 
us  out.  Altogether  I  have  found  the  trip  thus  far  a 
pleasure  and  a  minister  to  health,  giving,  as  it  does,  change 
of  scene  and  a  relief  from  consuming  care.  ...  I 
met  old  Mr.  Cook"^  to-day.  He  has  here  his  American 
pastor,  as  he  calls  him.  Dr.  Walker,  of  Philadelphia, 
whom,  with  his  wife,  he  is  treating  to  a  second  trip  to  and 
over  Europe.  ...  I  hope  to  hear  Spurgeon  on  Sun- 
day." 

On  the  Anchor  Line  steamship  ^^Anchoria,"  July  31st, 
1885,  he  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles: 

"...  Spotswood  and  I  ran  to  catch  a  train  for 
Ayr.  Arrived  there  we  found  an  open  'bus  into  which 
the  people  crowded,  and  we  followed,  asking  no  questions. 
After  half  an  hour's  run  over  a  rolling,  open  country,  with 


^Thos.  Cook,  originator  of  Cook's  Tours,  etc. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       245 

extensive  views,  we  were  set  dow^n  in  a  spot,  to  me  one  of 
the  most  interesting  in  the  world — the  more  so  as  I  had 
just  re-read  the  life  of  the  poet.  We  were  surrounded 
bj  the  thatched  one-story  cottage  where  he  first  saw  the 
light,  the  school  house,  'Alloway's  auld  haunted  kirk,'  the 
banks  and  braes  of  bonnie  Doon  (bonny  indeed  it  was,  and 
they  are),  and  the  Brig  o'  Doon  over  which  Tarn  fled  for 
his  life.  All  of  these  were  inspected.  .  .  .  Then  we 
got  from  a  room  added  to  Burns's  house  some  scones  for 
myself  and  for  Spotswood,  and  a  hot  mutton  pie,  which 
he  declared  to  be  the  best  thing  he  had  ever  tasted.  .  . 
My  last  day  before  leaving  Loudon  was  given  to  visiting 
Oxford  according  to  a  sometime  cherished  wish  and  plan. 
It  was  a  pity  the  time  was  so  short — far  too  short  to  see 
properly  that  quiet,  splendid,  historic  city,  but  imperfect 
as  was  my  view  enough  was  seen  to  give  me  a  conception 
which  no  book  or  picture  could  give  me.  .  .  .  The 
train  to  London  was  a  fast  one,  and  took  us  there  without 
stopping,  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles  or  thereabouts. 
A  charming  episode  was  meeting  Edward  Judson, 
who  came  and  spent  an  evening  with  me.  Few  men  are 
there  whom  I  love  and  admire  so  much.'' 

Upon  reaching  America  the  little  party  spent  a  few  days 
in  Baltimore ;  a  few  days  with  kin  folks  at  Newport 
News  and  Wake  Forest,  and  then  arrived  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Virginia. 

From  the  LTniversity,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote,  September  28th, 
1885,  to  his  brother  Charles.  He  refers  to  Rev.  Dr.  J. 
B.  Turpin,  for  many  years  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Charlottesville: 


246  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

'*  .  .  .  A  week  ago  to-day  we  all  landed  here  in 
the  rain  and  mud.  ...  It  was  a  littFe  depressing. 
,  We  have  a  good  servant.  Spotswood  goes  to  Mr. 
Brock  at  Midway  and  Susy  to  a  private  school  at  Mrs. 
Staige  Davis's :  many  friends  have  called  with  kindest 
words,  and  in  a  word  we  feel  that  we  are  launched  on 
our  life  here.  My  health  and  strength  have  improved, 
and  I  hope  I  will  get  on,  though  I  feel  some 
anxiety  as  to  the  sermons.  My  sermon  for  next  Sunday 
morning  I  have  written  out  but  am  dissatisfied  with  it. 
Text,  II  Cor.  iv :  7.  Yesterday  in  the  absence  of  Turpin 
I  preached  at  Baptist  Church,  Charlottesville,  and  pre- 
sided at  the  Lord's  Supper.  I  also  addressed  the  Sunday 
school  on  Italian  missions.  In  the  p.  m.  I  made  pastoral 
visits,  one  to  Professor  Wheeler,  who  was  thrown  from 
his  Kentucky  horse  the  day  after  our  arrival,  and  is  laid 
up  with  a  dislocated  shoulder,  all  alone,  his  wife  being 
in  the  Xorth.  .  .  .  We  are  greatly  enjoying  George's 
presence,  and  regret  that  he  must  go  away  so  soon.  Alas ! 
such  is  life.  He  has  preached  the  last  two  Siuadays  in 
Staunton.  My  own  stay  there  was  an  ovation,  and  I 
greatly  enjoyed  meeting  and  preaching  to  my  old  friends 
and  brethren,  though  memories  sad  and  tender  thronged 
me." 

One  letter  refers  to  a  barrel  of  Albemarle  pippins  he 
had  shipped  to  his  brother  Charles;  another  barrel  went 
to  Louisville,  to  his  son.  This  as  an  illustration  of  how  he 
was  constantly  making  handsome,  thoughful,  loving 
presents !     Few  men  ever  did  more  for  others  with  the 


EEV.    GEORGE    BQABDAfAX    TAYI-OB,    D.    D.  247 

same  amoiint  of  money.  He  was  an  excellent  financier 
and  it  was  his  jov  to  give  to  others. 

On  October  29th,  1SS5,  he  wrote  to  his  brother  James: 

''  ...  Whv  have  I  not  written  sooner?  because 
overwhelmed  with  work,  and  for  five  days  past  with 
neuralgia  pains,  fever  et  id  omne  genus,  which  have  kept 
me  in  bed,  and  which  last  Stmday  compelled  closing  the 
chapel  to  my  immense  disgnmtlement,  and  I  haven't  been 
out  since,  and  almost  fear  for  next  Sunday.  .  .  . 
James  Dickinson  and  Carter  Jones  and  a  Baptist  stxident 
named  Cox,  from  Georgia,  have  been  very  kind  in  supply- 
ing my  place  at  morning  prayers." 

During  Dr.  Taylor's  two  years  at  the  University  he 
was  never  strong,  and  a  number  of  times  was  confined  to 
his  bed  by  attacks  more  or  less  sharp.  He  felt  the 
severity  of  American  winter  weather,  yet  on  the  whole 
the  visit  hel}>ed  him  physically.  The  luxury  of  an 
abundance  of  milk  and  vegetables  he  greatly  enjoyed.  In 
November  1SS5  he  attended  a  farewell  missionary  meet- 
ing which  was  held  at  the  First  Church,  Richmond,  and 
made  the  principal  address,  speaking  especially  to  the 
young  men  who  were  setting  out  for  China. 

In  the  spring  of  1SS6  Mr.  Moixiy  was  ar  the  Univer- 
sity, and  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  students  and 
faculty.  After  he  left  meetings  were  kept  up,  and  Dr. 
Taylor  speaks  of  the  blessed  revival  with  which  the  com- 
munity was  visited.  The  following  May  he  attended  the 
Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  Montgi^^mery,  was  elected 
one  of  the  vict^presidents  and  made  an  address  on  Italian 
Missions  which  surprised  inanv.  who  had  Thouirht  of  him 


248  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

as  very  sober  and  matter  of  fact,  by  its  fine  play  of  wit 
and  humor.  During  the  summer  of  1886  a  Hebrew 
summer  school  was  held  at  the  University  of  Virginia; 
a  number  of  distinguished  Hebrew  scholars  came  together, 
Dr.  W.  R.  Harper  being  the  most  famous  of  them  all. 
Naturally  such  a  gathering  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  Dr. 
Taylor,  and  the  social  features  were  prominent,  as  a 
summer  school  cannot  be  very  strenuous,  since  even  at  the 
base  of  the  Blue  Ridge  the  mercury  mounts  uncomfortably 
high.  During  his  chaplaincy  Dr.  Taylor  gave  considerable 
time  and  thought  to  the  enterprise  (initiated  and  made 
successful  by  Rev.  Otis  T.  Glazebrook),  which  resulted 
in  the  erection  of  the  Gothic  chapel  now  used. 

In  the  spring  of  1887,  upon  Dr.  Taylor's  invitation,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Edward  Judson  spent  a  week  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  preaching  in  a  series  of  meetings.  His  ser- 
mons attracted  very  large  crowds  of  students,  and  great 
good  was  done.  In  the  fall  of  1887,  according  to  his 
plan  and  purpose.  Dr.  Taylor,  after  brief  visits  to  Chapel 
Hill,  where  his  two  sons  were,  one  as  pastor,  the  other 
as  student,  and  to  Wake  Forest,  turned  his  face  towards 
Rome. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Home     Life  —  Mission     Affairs  —  Chapels    Dedicated  —  Trips    to   Sicily 
Sardinia,  Switzerland 


O'er  all  the  Italian  fields  where  still  doth  sway 
The  Triple  Tyrant,  that  from  these  may  grow 

A  hundredfold,  who  having  learnt  thy  way 
Early  may  fly  the  Babylonian  woe. 

— Milton. 

* 

I^ovEMBER  (1887)  found  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  daughters 
once  more  in  Rome.  The  first  years  in  Rome  the  family 
had  lived  in  their  own  hired  house,  a  diti'eront  one  each 
winter,  and  then  for  some  years  they  had  dwelt  in  the 
apartment  over  the  chapel,  on  Via  Teatro  Valle.  Now 
that  apartment  was  occupied  by  Signer  Paschetto,  the 
evangelist,  and  the  Taylor  trio  took  up  their  abode  at 
52  Via  Giulio  Romano.  This  is  in  many  respects  as 
desirable  a  place  as  can  be  found  in  Rome.  The  windows 
look  out  upon  the  steps  of  the  Ara  Coeli  Church  (where 
Gibbon  conceived  the  plan  of  writing  the  Decline  and  Fall 
of  the  Roman  Empire),  and  the  square  of  the  Capitol, 
with  its  famous  equestrian  statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 
The  large  open  space  all  around  gives  every  room  save 
one  that  wealth  of  sunshine,  which  is  so  necessary  in 
Rome,  yet  which,  by  reason  of  the  narrow  streets,  in 
many  a  house  is  unknown.     This  was  to  be  Dr.  Taylor's 


250  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

last  earthly  habitation ;  in  view  of  this  fact  some  words, 
in  the  letter  which  follows,  addressed  to  his  brother 
Charles,  take  on  a  double  interest : 

^'Behold  my  permanent  address  and  me  settled  again 
in  my  ^own  hired  house'  in  Rome — well,  not  perfectly 
settled  .  .  .  but  comfortable  in  the  feeling  that  like 
Noah's  dove  we  have  found  a  resting  place  for  the  sole 
of  our  feet  after  our  flight  over  the  great  waters.  Per- 
haps God  does  not  mean  for  his  children  to  be  too  well 
settled  in  this  world.  ...  It  has  always  been  a 
theory  of  mine  that  every  properly  constituted  family  is 
complete  in  itself  and  that  while  'men  (or  women)  may 
come  and  men  (or  women)  may  go'  and  be  welcome  while 
there,  the  home  is  quite  able  to  get  on  of  itself. 
Our  stay  has  been  marked  by  a  deal  of  rainy,  dark,  dismal 
weather  (now  it  is  glorious),  and  by  one  of  my  attacks, 
this  time  not  visceral  merely,  but  a  land  seasickness  last- 
ing all  night,  and  leaving  me  weak  and  miserable  for  days 
after.  However,  as  usual,  I  have  come  uj)  like  a  cork,  and 
am  O.  K.  (all  kork).  But  T  know  that  some  day  I  shall 
not  'come  up.'  This  house  has  some  disadvantages. 
.  .  .  But  the  house  is  flooded  with  sunshine,  I  mean 
by  day,  and  when  it  is  not  raining.  And  who  can  expect 
everything  to  combine  in  a  house  till  he  gets  the  one  'not 
made  with  hands'  ?  .  .  .  We  are  making  some  skir- 
mishes towards  getting  fixed,  and  Mary  is  a  treasure 
worth  her  weight  in  gold.  .  .  .  Our  reception  by 
friends  here,  of  various  nationalities,  could  hardly  have 
been  kinder." 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       251 

On  February  29th,  1888,  he  wrote  to  his  brother 
Charles : 

"Last  Sunday  was  a  clay  to  be  marked  with  a  white 
stone,  as  it  was  the  first  day  for  about  a  fortnight  that  I 
went  out  of  the  house.  .  .  .  Though  I  went  out  Sun- 
day it  was  not  thought  best  for  me  to  go  to  our  chapel, 
which  is  cold  and  damp,  so  I  walked  to  the  Palace  of  the 
Caesars,  and  there  read  your  and  other  letters  which  the 
porter  handed  me  as  I  passed  his  den.  On  other  days 
there  is  a  franc  for  admission  to  the  Palatine  Hill,  but  on 
Sunday  there  is  no  charge.  I,  of  course,  would  not  go 
there  sight-seeing,  but  do  not  think  it  wrong  to  go  as  1 
would  to  any  other  green,  quiet  place.  I  have  had  a 
bronchial  attack,  and  have  played  the  part  of  the  man 
in  the  story  who  could  not  get  warm.  It  is  a  strange 
and  to  me  rather  inexplicable  as  well  as  painful  ex- 
perience. And  yet  Sunday  I  found  the  sun  hot,  and  my 
overcoat  oppressive.  It  was  the  first  bright  day  for  many 
days.  We  have  had  a  most  trying  winter,  severe  cold  or 
continual  rain.  'Now  comes  March,  dangerous  from  the 
contrast  between  the  hot  sun  and  chilling  winds. 

"For  two  years  I,  too,  got  up  early  and  sallied  forth 
to  morning  prayers,  and  rather  enjoyed  it,  but  for  some 
time  I  have  been  rising  late.  Rome  is  a  great  place  for 
sleep,  and  it  seems  hard  for  me  to  get  enough.  Mary  and 
Susy  are  very  good  to  me,  and  give  me  all  the  petting  I 
will  take,  and  I  take  all  I  can  get.  Our  servant  leaves 
before  the  third  meal  of  the  day  and  Mary  and  Susy 
prepare  that,  and  as  I  am  reading  or  writing,  in  walks 
one  of  them  with  a  cup  of  cocoa,  and  a  slice  of  brown 


252  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

bread.  Each  time  it  is  a  surprise,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
in  fairyland.  For  some  time  I  have  not  been  able  to 
take  my  meals  in  the  cold  dining  room.  The  Baroness 
Bunsen  well  says  that  Rome,  with  its  climate  and  with 
the  way  the  houses  are  built,  is  no  place  for  a  delicate 
person.  For  the  first  time  since  I  came  here  in  1873  I 
have  thought  this  winter  of  making  some  change.  But  it 
has  not  been  a  very  serious  thought,  nor  do  I  know  what 
change  could  be  made.  Besides,  this  has  been  a  very  ex- 
ceptionally trying  winter,  and,  after  all,  one  does  not  know 
how  much  of  his  sufferings  may  be  due  to  place  and  how 
much  to  his  own  health,  which  would  not  be  strong  any- 
where. Charlie,  I  am  sensible  of  greatly  diminished 
force,  and  though  I  have  been  going  dov^n  hill  four  years, 
this  year  has  marked  a  decided  decadence.  However,  I 
generally  rally,  and  hope  to  yet.     .     .     . 

"I  have  recently  called  to  my  aid  here  Signor  Pas- 
chetto.  Well,  really,  he  will  do  most  of  the  preaching, 
as  at  present  he  does  all.  He  is  one  of  our  very  best  men, 
firm  and  gentle,  a  student  and  pious.  .  .  .  The 
Italian  work  in  general  is  not  making  very  much  progress. 
The  most  sanguine  of  the  leaders  here,  while  not  dis- 
couraged, take  a  more  sober  view  than  ever  of  the  diffi- 
culty, and  feel  little  hopefulness,  humanly  speaking,  of 
the  work.  But  surely  God  will  not  fail  to  answer  prayer, 
and  crown  His  own  word  with  His  own  blessing. 
I  have  been  for  some  days  reading  'Life  and  Letters  of 
John  Foster,'  a  strong  and  suggestive  but  somewhat 
gloomy  book,  though  Foster,  could  he  reply,  would  say 
the  gloom  is  in  the  reality  of  things.     I  am  perhaps  not 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       253 

quite  so  deaf  as  when  you  were  at  my  house,  but  more 
so  than  when  I  was  at  yours,  and  I  am  in  consequence 
much  cut  off  from  social  life.  The  best  I  can  do  is  to 
talk  to  one  person  who  is  on  my  right  side,  and  will  take 
some  pains.  General  conversation  is  impossible.  Last 
Sunday  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford,  of  Buffalo,  dined  with 
us.  .  .  .  To-night  we  will  have  a  number  of  friends 
to  meet  them.  I  confess  I  dread  it,^  but  it  seemed  a 
social  duty.  There  is  always  some  one  in  Rome  to  whom 
one  has  to  show  some  attention." 

A  few  days  later,  on  March  15th,  1888,  he  wrote  again 
to  his  brother  Charles : 

^^I  perhaps  would  not  write  again  so  soon  but  for  three 
reasons,  viz. :  because  it  is  easier  to  write  a  second  letter 
soon  after  sending  a  first,  because  I  can,  as  to  myself,  give 
a  much  better  bill  of  health,  and  finally  because  in  the 
meantime  I  have  another  letter  from  you.  .  .  .  First 
of  all  I  must  say  that  the  little  party  of  ours,  which  I 
was  dreading  when  I  wrote  you,  turned  out  to  be  not  only 
a  great  success,  but  a  peculiar  pleasure  to  me — this  last, 
I  think,  chiefly  because  I  set  myself  as  a  fine  art  to  make 
everyone  have  a  good  time.  Then,  too,  there  are,  in  our 
little  circle,  several  exceedingly  pleasant  people  for  whom 
I  feel  a  warm  friendship,  and  whose  society  I  really  en- 
joy, though  my  deafness  is  a  real  hindrance.  I  never 
tried  so  much  before  this  year  to  get  on  the  right  side  of 
people  or  more  strictly  to  get  them  on  my  right  side. 

"The  day  after  the  rout,  Mary  and  Susy  went  with  a 


•On  account  of  his  deafness. 


254  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

party  to  Frascati,  and  I,  too,  was  invited  and  could  have 
gone,  but  owing  to  the  detention  of  the  tram  car  was  left 
by  the  train.  I  had,  however,  a  compensation  for  my 
disappointment,  for  that  was  the  day  of  the  demonstrations 
by  the  UnempJoyed.  One  of  the  two  incidents  of  the  day 
occurred  on  the  steps  leading  to  the  Campidoglio,  and 
right  under  my  window.  At  first  the  dense  mass  pressed 
back  the  police  and  the  fcAV  soldiers  guarding  the  position, 
and  it  seemed  at  one  moment,  which  was  thrilling,  that 
they  would  break  through.  But  presently  reenforcements 
came,  two  bands  placing  themselves  in  the  piazza  above. 
A  third,  with  fixed  bayonets,  charged  up  the  scalinata  (or 
inclined  plane),  bisecting  the  mass,  and  then  turning 
round  and  forcing  each  half  down,  and  in  different 
directions — then  the  victory  was  won.  Many  stones  were 
thrown  by  the  people  and  a  few  bayonet  wounds  were 
inflicted,  but  it  was  the  peculiar  Italian  patience  and 
God's  mercy  that  no  shots  were  fired.  Once  or  twice 
during  the  half  hour  that  I  watched  the  scene,  which  could 
not  have  been  more  perfectly  under  my  eye,  my  heart 
beat  painfully  with  excitement  and  anxiety.  A  perhaps 
larger  crowd,  doing  real  damage,  was  in  the  piazza,  where 
Mary  has  her  women's  meetings,  and  almost  all  over  the 
city  bakeries  were  invaded,  and  bread  carriers  were  robbed 
of  their  burden,  so  that  altogether  the  scenes  of  Milan, 
so  admirably  depicted  by  Manzoni  in  the  'Promessi  Sposi,' 
were  reenacted. 

^^Since  this  episode  the  illness  of  the  crown  prince  of 
Germany,  the  illness  and  death  of  the  Emperor,  and  all 
the   incidents   accompanying,    have   greatly   occupied   our 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOAEDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       255 

thoughts,  and  we  have  felt  indeed  as  if  we  were  spectators 
of  a  tragedy,  and  almost  taking  part  in  it.  .  .  .  My 
prayer  has  been  for  the  excellent  crown  prince,  now 
Emperor,  such  a  sufferer  and  so  sublimely  patient  and 
self-contained;  so  heroic  as  a  soldier  and  yet  so  devoted 
to  peace  and  to  liberal  constitutional  government,  and 
especially  for  the  cause  of  freedom  and  civilization,  and 
for  the  masses  of  the  people  that  the  Great  Sovereign  may 
dominate  all  these  events  to  the  progress  of  His  cause  in 
Europe,  and  in  the  world." 

On  the  same  day  he  wrote  to  his  older  son,  alluding  to 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  H.  Ryland,  who  is  at  present,  and 
has  been  for  many  years,  the  financial  secretary  of  Rich- 
mond College: 

"  .  .  .  Some  time  before  T  left  the  U.  S.,  C.  H. 
Ryland  wrote  asking  me  for  my  portrait.  I  declined, 
thinking  it  would  not  be  delicate,  but  said  some  time  I 
would  give  the  portrait  of  some  other  person.  The  thing 
was  followed  up  and  so  I  said  I  would  pay  for  J.  A.  B.'s" 

About  a  year  later  a  friend  asked  him  to  sit  for  his 
portrait,  for  the  Richmond  College  Library,  and  he  did 
so;  writing  afterwards  for  the  Religious  Herald  an  ar- 
ticle entitled  "On  Having  Your  Portrait  Painted,^'  sug- 
gested by  his  sittings  in  the  studio  of  De  Sanctis.  In 
this  article  he  said,  in  part : 

"It  is  decreed  by  those  whom  you  wish  to  oblige,  or 
feel  bound  to  obey,  that  you  sit  for  your  portrait,  an  ex- 
perience which  had  not  been  dreamed  of  in  your  philos- 
ophy. You  feel  flattered  and  fluttered — the  latter,  because 
you  are  well  aware  that  yours  is  not  a  handsome  face, 


256  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  you  are  almost  ashamed  to  ask  an  artist  to  put  it  upon 
canvas.  And  so  you  delay,  like  the  man  of  classic  fable 
waiting  on  the  river  bank  for  the  water  to  run  by  that 
he  may  cross,  only  you  know  that  your  case  is  even  more 
desperate,  since,  though  you  can  never  become  better 
looking,  you  may  lose  what  little  pulchritude  you  already 
possess.  ........ 

"Let  your  flattered  feeling  at  the  Aristotle  Club,  or  the 
Pine  Pole  University  wanting  your  portrait,  be  chastened 
by  the  fact  that  their  wanting  it  proves  you  to  be  no  longer 
young.  Only  after  a  man  is  old  enough  to  have  done  some- 
thing do  people  care  for  his  portrait.  Besides,  then  they 
begin  to  fear  that  if  not  taken  soon  it  may  not  be  possible 
to  take  it  from  life.  This  last  need  not  be  a  sad,  but  it  is 
surely  a  sobering,  thought  and  a  fine  counter-irritant  to 
vanity.  Most  portraits  in  public  galleries  are  of  men 
j^ast  their  prime.  So  it  is  at  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  We 
have  Michael  Angelo  and  Leonardo  as  elderly  men. 
Raphael,  in  his  'School  of  Athens,'  represents  the  chief 
characters  as  aged.  Happily,  we  have  his  portrait  as  a 
beautiful  young  man,  painted  by  his  own  hand.  Not 
otherwise  could  we  have  it  at  all,  as  he  died  with  the  dew 
of  his  youth  upon  him,  and  though  so  young  he  has 
already  made  posterity  his  debtors  and  won  undying  fame. 
But  he  was  one  of  millions!  After  all,  you  old  fellows, 
if  not  handsome,  may  be  picturesque,  which  is  a  good  thing 
in  a  picture. 

"At  last  you  pluck  up  courage  and  go  to  the  artist's. 
You  have  done  well  to  choose  the  best.  Always  strike 
high;    get  the  best  doctor  to  physic  you,  the  best  lawyer 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       257 

to  plead  for  you,  the  best  preacher  to  preach  to  you — the 
best,  I  mean,  that  circumstances  permit.  In  marrying 
also,  according  to  Dr.  Johnson,  a  man  should  strike  high ; 
for,  he  argues,  a  woman  is  none  the  worse  for  being  beauti- 
ful, and  if  she  is  well  bred  and  ^used  to  the  handling  of 
money,  she  spends  it  more  judiciously  than  one  who,  get- 
ting the  command  of  it  for  the  first  time  upon  her  mar- 
riage, has  such  a  gust  in  spending  it  that  she  throws  it 
away  in  great  profusion.'  This  is  wise,  but  only  worldly 
wise.  Surely,  in  a  better  sense,  one  may  covet  earnestly 
the  best  gifts  in  a  companion  for  life's  pilgrimage. 

"Out  of  the  brilliant  Spanish  Square  and  street  of  the 
Baboon,  with  their  wealth  of  photographs,  engravings, 
laces,  silk  stuffs,  jewelry,  coral,  pearls  (oriental  and  home- 
made), mosaics,  cameos,  ^objects  of  religion'  luxuriously 
mounted,  every  species  of  bric-a-brac,  golden  butter  whose 
pads  are  stamped  with  the  wolf  and  Romulus  and  Remus, 
and,  not  least,  flowers  in  profusion, — flowers  that  man  has 
made  and  flowers  the  handiwork  of  God, — out  of  this 
street  and  square  you  turn  into  a  back  street  well  known 
to  travelled  men  who  love  the  beautiful.  When  you  have 
climbed  a  flight  of  steps  you  are  still  in  a  sort  of  garden, 
and  all  around  you  are  the  homes — the  art  homes — of 
painters. 

"Preliminaries  are  soon  arranged,  and  sittings  begin. 
You  were  wise  to  leave  everything  to  the  painter.  In  any 
department,  get  an  expert,  and  then  leave  the  responsibility 
of  the  case  to  him.  ^He  who  is  his  own  lawyer  has  a 
fool  for  his  client'  is  a  proverb  which,  mutatis  mutandis, 
applies  to  many  other  subjects.     I  would  have  made  a  good 


258  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Roman  Catholic;  and  the  Papist  is  all  right — except  in 
his  premises. 

''Half  in  earnest,  but  in  a  playful  way,  you  ask  the 
artist  to  make  the  picture  as  good  looking  as  is  consistent 
with  its  being  a  likeness.  You  have  not  quite  the  courage 
of  old  Oliver,  who  ordered  Sir  Peter  Leley,  'Paint  me 
as  I  am,  wart  and  all.'  The  painter  gives  you  a  knowing 
smile;  you  may  be  sure  he  has  had  that  request  before 
— ^you  are  not  the  only  ill-favored  man  he  had  tried  his 
brush  on,  and  that,  at  least,  is  reassuring.     . 

"While  the  preliminaries  were  arranging,  the  painter 
was  beaming  with  smiles  and  effervescing  with  pleasant 
small  talk ;  but  now  that  work  is  begun,  what  a  change ! 
Some  time  is  spent  in  getting  you  into  the  right  position, 
and  then,  for  several  long  minutes,  you  are  scrutinized 
as  if  he  would  look  through  you  and  road  the  very  secrets 
of  your  soul.  You  are  slightly  embarrassed,  and  most 
likely,  in  consequence,  not  quite  natural.  At  length  he 
seizes  the  charcoal  and  dashes  away  as  if  for  dear  life, 
looking  alternately  at  the  canvas  and  at  you.  What 
concentration  of  faculties  !  !N'o  wonder !  Perhaps  not  even 
the  author  requires  it  more.  ..... 

"Even  the  sitter  is  under  a  certain  strain  to  preserve 
his  position  and  keep  his  eye  on  the  painter,  and  once, 
you  remember,  when  you  yielded  to  an  irresistible  desire 
to  glance  at  some  geraniums  in  a  window  across  the  street, 
he  with  imperative  gesture  recalled  your  eye  to  its  proper 
object.  But  before  you  get  very  tired  he  proposes  rest, 
and  shows  you  some  of  the  treasures  of  his  studio.  Here 
is  no  end  of  tapestry,  old  armor,  antique  vases,  wood  carv- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOABDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       259 

ings,  crucifixes  in  iron  and  ivory,  ^studies,'  and  the  like, 
but  you  soon  turn  from  them  to  look  at  some  of  the  por- 
traits. Here  is  Longfellow,  with  his  shaggy  hair  and 
beard,  looking  like  an  old  lion.  There,  also,  are  Cantu, 
Italy's  famous  historian,  several  senators  and  members 
of  the  Lower  House.  What  an  honest,  bright  face  Cantu 
has !  If  his  history  is  like  him,  it  cannot  much  resemble 
that  of  Guicciardini,  to  the  reading  of  which  a  galley 
prisoner's  sentence  was  once  commuted ;  but,  after  a  trial, 
he  gave  up  the  book,  preferring  to  expiate  his  crime  in  the 
regular  way.  Here  are  fair  maidens  from  over  the  moun- 
tains and  beyond  the  sea,  and  lovely  brunettes  from  the 
South.  The  presence  of  one  of  these  last  is  explained. 
It  was  not  considered  pretty  enough  by  the  original.  The 
artist  prefers  to  paint  the  rougher  sex,  he  says.  At  any 
rate  he  has  done  justice,  and  not  more  than  justice,  to 
Italy's  peerless  and  royal  Daisy,  and  by  her  side  is  the 
honest  King  Humbert.  One  could  never  feel  lonesome  in 
this  studio,  though  alone.  Xor  would  I  dare  to  do  or  even 
think  bad  things  there,  with  all  those  eyes  following  me 
about. 

"At  the  first  sitting,  an  outline  is  made  with  charcoal. 
Thereafter,  the  brush  is  used.  One  sees  in  the  whole 
process  a  not  unapt  figure  of  sermonizing.  There  is  first 
the  conception  of  the  text  or  topic;  next,  the  outline 
within  which  to  work,  for  correct  design  is  the  necessary 
condition  of  a  painting  or  sermon ;  and,  finally,  the  filling 
in  and  coloring.  Some  sermons  would  be  improved  were 
there  less  going  about  after  originality  and  more  effort 
to  simply  find  and  present  the  thought  of  the  Holy  Spirit 


260  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

in  the  passage  selected.  In  the  latter,  at  least,  there  is 
ample  scope  for  the  creative  faculty.  Some  discourses,  on 
the  other  hand,  fail  for  lack  of  life  and  color.  After  all, 
if  a  preacher  is  not  interesting  enough  to  induce  people  to 
listen  to  him,  his  ^best  laid  plans'  and  most  logically  con- 
structed trains  of  thought  are  all  in  vain. 

"Another  analogy.  We  need  to  study  again  and  again, 
and  with  the  concentration  of  our  faculties,  the  character 
of  our  Lord  Jesus,  if  we  wish  that  it  may  be  in  any  good 
measure  reproduced  in  us.  Thus  'we  all,  with  unveiled 
face  beholding  as  in  a  mirror  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are 
transformed  into  the  same  image  from  glory  to  glory.' 

"The  portrait  progresses.  As  the  colors  are  laid  on, 
the  likeness  comes  out,  and  you  are  comforted  that  it  is 
not  so  ugly  as  you  feared,  but  your  eyes,  you  venture  to 
suggest  to  the  painter,  are  deeper  set  than  in  the  picture. 
'Ah,  you  cannot  judge,'  he  replies,  'until  it  is  done.'  A 
great  truth  is  wrapped  up  in  those  words.  You  see  your 
mistake,  and  then  think  of  your  greater  folly  in  sometimes 
judging  of  God's  unfinished  work.  It  is  not  merely  that 
the  finite  is  never  competent  to  pass  judgment  on  the  in- 
finite, but  even  that  partial  estimate  that  we  may  make 
must  be  delayed  till  the  last  touch  has  been  given  to  it 
by  the  Divine  hand. 

'With  patient  mind  thy  course  of  duty  run, 
God  nothing  does,  or  suffers  to  be  done. 
But  thou  wouldst  do  thyself,  if  thou  couldst  see 
The  end  of  all  events  as  well  as  He.' 

And  even  man's  work,  and  any  human  life,  may  not  be 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOAEDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       261 

rightly  estimated  until  the  close.     As  a  whole  it  must  be 
weighed,  if  no  injustice  is  to  be  done. 

'Grow  old  along  with  me! 

The  best  is  yet  to  be — 
The  last  of  life,  for  which  the  first  was  made. 

Our  times  are  in  His  hand 

Who  saith,    A  whole  I  planned; 
Youth  shows  but  half;    trust  God;    see  all,  nor  be  afraid. 

For  note,  when  evening  shuts, 

A  certain  moment  cuts 
The  deed  oflF,  calls  the  glory  from  the  gray. 

A  whisper  from  the  west 

Shouts,  Add  this  to  the  rest: 
Take  it  and  try  its  worth;    here  dies  another  day. 

So,  take  and  use  Thy  work; 

Amend  what  flaws  may  lurk, 
What  strain  o'  the  stuff,  what  warpings  past  the  aim! 

My  times  be  in  Thy  hand! 

Perfect  the  cup  as  planned! 
Let  age  approve  of  youth,  and  death  complete  the  same!* 

^'One  day  I  sat  by  the  painter  and  watched  his  work^ 
and  saw,  as  this  and  that  touch  was  given,  the  likeness 
little  by  little  coming  out.  So  have  I  seen — and  surely 
earth  has  no  lovelier  sight — some  friend  year  after  year 
grow  more  and  more  into  the  likeness  of  the  Divine  Man. 
I  ventured  to  say  to  the  painter  that  I  began  to  see  your 
lineaments  appearing.  ^But  no,'  he  replied,  'I  have  not 
even  begun  to  put  in  the  likeness.'  Thus,  methinks,  in 
a  man  who  seems  to  us  Christlike  the  likeness  has  not 
even  begun  compared  to  'what  he  shall  heJ  That  ^doth 
not  yet  appear.     .     .     .     '  " 


262  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

On  March  16th,  1888,  he  wrote  to  his  younger  son: 

"...  Did  I  mention  that  I  am  re-reading  Ivan- 
hoe  ?  I  see  that  in  the  Century  there  is  a  lively  fight  going 
on  between  Stevenson  and  Howells,  the  former  representing 
the  ideal  and  romantic,  and  the  other  the  realistic  in 
literature.  It  seems  to  me  a  useless  contest,  since  both 
have  and  ought  to  have  their  due  place.  I  confess  I 
am  enjoying  Ivanhoe  more  than  I  expected.  .  .  . 
Never  was  there  a  more  ex  tempore  trip  than  that  to 
Frascati  which  Susy  and  I  took  day  before  yesterday. 
It  was  spoken  of  playfully  at  breakfast,  but  finding  Susy 
would  like  it,  I  at  once  descided  to  go.  .  .  .  The 
mountains  were  white  with  snow  and  the  fields  with 
daisies.  We  had  a  charming  day,  wandering  through  the 
villas,  climbing  hills,  and  plucking  flowers,  as  well  as 
drinking  in  deep  draughts  of  fine  air  which  made  me 
skip  and  jump  like  a  kid.  Then,  too,  we  got  a  nice  though 
inexpensive  dinner  at  the  restaurant  of  the  Sole,  followed 
by  a  maritozzo*  each  at  a  cafe,  and  a  cup  of  black  coffee 
for  me.  By  midday  the  sky  was  very  much  overcast,  but 
we  cheerfully  hoped  it  would  not  rain,  as  we  had  no 
umbrella,  and  it  did  not  until  about  4.30,  when  a  fine 
sprinkle  began.  We  felicitated  ourselves  much  in  hitting 
the  train  almost  exactly,  for  we  had  no  watch  either.  We 
were  rather  badly  smoked  in  the  car  but  reached  Rome 
safely,  and  then,  though  it  was  raining  little,  I  took  a  cab 
home,  for  I  noticed  that  Susy's  shoes  were  not  very  thick. 
I  thought  during  the  day  of  other  visits  to  F ,  the  last, 


^A  kind  of  bun,  made  with  oil,  and  eaten  during  Lent. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       263 

I  believe,  with  you,  and  very  vividly  of  one  with  your 
mother  in  1878  or  '79,  when  being  at  a  sort  of  crisis  in 
the  mission  we  discussed  plans,  and  your  mother  said  at 
any  sacrifice  we  must  stay  on  and  work  on  in  Rome.  I 
shall  never  forget  it.  I  remembered,  too,  all  day  that  it 
was  not  only  the  King's  birthday  but  your  mother's  as 
well.  She  is  often  in  my  mind.  Did  I  tell  you  of  going 
on  the  7th,  and  carrying  flowers  to  her  grave?  From  it 
I  plucked  two  violets,  which  I  enclose  for  you  and  George. 
My  son,  you  had  a  rarely  noble  and  lovely  mother.  I  often 
think  what  you  and  Susy  lost  by  her  too  early  death. 
.  .  .  I  must  tell  you  of  a  curious  thing.  Some  ten 
days  ago  I  received  a  long  letter  from   a  legal  firm  in 

J ,    T ,   accompanied  by  others   from  prominent 

Baptist  ministers,  begging  me  to  make  certain  investiga- 
tions here.  It  seems  that  there  was  a  man  calling  him- 
self   ,  who  was  very  injudiciously  called  to 

the  pastorate  of  the  Baptist  Church  there.  When  he  be- 
came intolerable  they  got  rid  of  him.  Then  he  began  to 
publish  all  manner  of  accusations,  till  in  self-defense  they 
tracked  his  past  history  and  finding  proof  that  he  was  a 
first-class  scoundrel,  with  several  aliases,  published  the 
same.  He,  thereupon,  brought  suit  for  defamation.  Be- 
fore the  court  he  gave  the  name  of  the  person  whom  he 

claims   to   be   his    father,   a   certain    with    four 

prenomens,  whom  he   alleges   to  have   died   in  Rome  on 

May  6th at  the  house  of  one living  on  the 

Corso,  and  to  have  been  buried  May  8th  in  the  cemetery 

at .     There  is  no  record  of  such  death  or 

burial,  and  so  far  no can  be  heard  of.     I  have  sent 


264  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

one  telegram  and  one  letter,  the  latter  of  which  I  swore 
before  the  American  Consul.     But  I  am  still  at  work." 

The  following  letter  explains  itself: 

"University  of  Virginia, 

"April  5th,  1888. 

"Dear  Doctor  Taylor — I  have  the  honor  to  inform  you 
that  the  faculty  have  unanimously  elected  you  one  of  the 
delegates  to  represent  the  University  of  Virginia  on  the 
occasion  of  the  celebration  of  the  800th  anniversary  of  the 
University  of  Bologna  on  the  11th,  12th  and  13th  days 
of  June  next.  We  hope  that  you  will  find  it  in  your 
power  to  accept  the  appointment,  and  will  be  one  of  the 
representatives  of  the  Alma  Mater  on  the  interesting  occa- 
sion. We  have  appointed  two  delegates.  Your  colleague 
is  the  Hon.  Boyd  Winchester,  Minister  Resident  of  the 
United  States  at  Berne,  Switzerland.  Minister  Win- 
chester is  an  alumnus  of  the  year  1855.  Hoping  soon  to 
receive  a  favorable  reply,  I  am, 

"Your  very  sincerely, 

"Chas.  S.  Venable. 

"P.  S.  I  must  take  this  occasion  to  do  that  which  I 
should  have  done  long  ago — that  is,  to  thank  you  in  the 
name  of  the  faculty  for  the  gift  to  the  library  of  the 
portrait  of  our  honored  colleague.  Prof.  IN".  K.  Davis." 

Dr.  Taylor  accepted  the  appointment,  and  attended  this 
interesting  and  unique  celebration.  The  same  summer 
he  had  a  visit,  which  he  greatly  enjoyed,  from  two  Vir- 
ginia pastors,  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  E.  Hatcher,  his  warm 
friend  of  former  davs,  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  L.  R.  Thornhill. 


265 

Dr.  Taylor  was  summering  at  Cutigliano,  an  out-of-the- 
way  place  up  in  the  Apennines,  but  guided  by  a  postal 
from  their  friend  the  travellers,  though  ignorant  of  Italian, 
arrived  safely,  late  one  Sunday  night.  The  visit  is  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Taylor  and  by  Dr.  Hatcher.  In  a  letter 
to  his  older  son,  dated  September  8th,  1888,  the  former 
writes : 

''  ...  At  10  p.  M.  .  .  .  the  bell  rang.  It 
put  me  quite  in  a  quiver,  as  it  had  never  rung  before  at 
night,  and  I  feared  a  bad  telegram.  But  on  opening  the 
door,  behold  Messrs.  Hatcher  and  Thornhill,  who  had 
thought,  situated  as  they  were,  the  most  Sunday-like 
employment  was  to  get  to  us,  and  they  had  come  guided 
by  directions  in  one  of  my  earlier  postal  cards. 
Mary  and  Susy  (the  servant  being  away)  got  'em  a  hot 
supper,  and  prepared  their  room.  .  .  .  We  talked  till 
midnight,  as  we  did  also  Monday  and  Tuesday  nights, 
sleeping  late  to  get  even  .  .  .  and  I  have  never  en- 
joyed a  visit  more.  They  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves 
royally  well,  and  were  most  kindly  appreciative  of  every- 
thing. Dr.  Hatcher  was  his  own  bright  self.  .  .  . 
Their  visit  stirred  me  up  in  a  very  pleasant  way,  and  I 
needed  stirring  up  very  badly." 

Dr.  Hatcher,  in  an  article  about  Dr.  Taylor,  speaks 
thus  of  this  visit,  and  other  days  with  Dr.  Taylor  in 
other  parts  of  Italy: 

*'His  appointment  to  Italy  was  the  decisive  event  of  his 
life.  I  fairly  went  into  mourning  over  it,  and  yet  rejoiced. 
It  was  something  not  to  forget  to  mark  the  serene  serious- 


266  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ness  with  which  he  faced  his  new  career.  When  he  went, 
it  was  agreed  that  I  was  to  see  him  in  his  Italian  home — 
one  of  my  fair  hopes  long  deferred,  but  realized  in  time. 
Being  advised  of  my  coming  over  in  the  summer  of  1888 
he  notified  me  that  he  was  summering  in  the  Apennines, 
and  that  I  must  come  to  him  there.  Not  an  accessible 
point  and  I  reached  it  at  midnight  of  Sunday  about 
September  the  first,  after  a  hard  ride  through  the  moun- 
tains. He  and  his  daughters  were  up,  and  truly  I  never 
had  such  a  welcome !  His  dear  face  was  transfigured  with 
radiance,  and  as  he  threw  his  arm  around  me  and  said, 
^O  Brother  William,  my  own  dear  friend,  you  have  come 
at  last!'  it  seemed  to  me  that  my  heart  leaped  to  a  height 
of  happiness  never  attained  before.  0  blessed  days! 
He  told  me  that  in  our  rambles  among  the  crags  of  the 
Apennines  we  were  on  the  very  spot  where  Cataline 
used  to  hide  and  hatch  his  deadly  plots,  but  the  arch- 
conspirator  did  not  disturb  us.  For  days  our  feast  of  joy 
went  on,  and  now  as  he  sleeps  in  his  grave  my  heart  finds 
food  in  the  memory  of  it. 

"Dr.  Taylor  talked  much  of  going  with  me  to  Rome, 
but  I  would  not  hear  of  it,  as  his  health  was  feeble,  but 
he  had  his  house  opened  and  put  in  order  for  me,  engaged 
the  faithful  janitor  of  the  Baptist  Church  to  wait  on  my 
wishes,  and  interested  the  pastor  of  the  church  and  others 
to  make  it  happy  for  me  while  in  the  city  of  Rome. 

"Later  on  Dr.  Taylor  met  me  at  Bologna,  and  we 
travelled  extensively  together  through  Northern  Italy,  visit- 
ing a  number  of  our  missionary  stations.  He  knew  Italy 
by  heart,  and  of  all  guides  he  was  the  most  instructive. 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       267 

Indeed  he  was  so  refreshing  that  often  silent  tears,  tokens 
of  joy,  not  sorrow,  dimmed  my  eyes. 

"Finally  our  parting  came  at  Milan.  I  asked  him  when 
I  was  to  see  him  in  America.  ^^N'ever,  I  hope,'  he  said, 
with  decision,  and  I  upbraided  him  to  elicit  an  explana- 
tion, and  got  it.  It  came  in  about  the  following  words: 
*My  wife  never  felt  called  to  be  a  missionary  and  really 
preferred  to  live  in  America,  but  as  a  good  wife  she  cheer- 
fully came  with  me.  And  she  has  found  a  grave  in  Italy. 
I  feel  that  I  must  be  buried  beside  her,  and  if  I  go  to 
America  I  fear  that  I  may  die  while  there  and  they  may 
bury  me  in  that  country.  This  would  be  like  deserting 
one  who  gave  up  all  for  me.'  I  had  not  another  word  to 
say.  He  did  come  to  America  later,  but  his  wish  to  be 
buried  in  Italy  was  gratified." 

As  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  daughters  returned  to  Rome  that 
fall,  they  stopped  for  a  few  days  in  Florence.  Concerning 
this  visit,  he  writes  in  a  letter  to  his  son,  dated  Florence, 
October  7th,  1888: 

"  .  .  .  We  have  spent  two  mornings  in  the  Uffizi 
and  Pitti  galleries,  one  in  each.  The  latter  is  now  called 
the  'Palatine.'  When  I  was  here  in  1870  admittance  was 
free  as  air,  whereas  now,  as  in  every  museum  or  ancient 
building,  a  franc  each  is  the  fee.  But  these  galleries  are 
always  crowded  and,  indeed,  the  sum  is  very  small  as 
compared  with  prices  in  America,  and  considering  the 
richness  of  the  collections.  There  are  pictures  in  those 
galleries  which  I  can  shut  my  eyes  and  see,  and  which 
are  a  great  joy  to  me.  This  time  we  have  given  more 
attention  than  ever  before  to  Fra  Angelico  and  Botticelli — 


268  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

the  latter  on  account  of  an  article  on  his  works  in  a  late 
Harper.  But  your  sisters  have  for  some  time  been  read- 
ing up  for  this  week,  which  is,  as  the  theatre  people  say, 
their  ^benefit,'  and  which  they  richly  deserve.  I  do  wish 
them  to  get  the  best  of  Italy  so  that  in  case  of  their  re- 
moval to  America  they  may  have  stored  in  their  memories 
precious  pictures  in  abundance  of  this  land  of  art  and 
beauty.  One  morning  was  given  to  Santa  Croce,  the  West- 
minster Abbey  of  Italy,  and  yesterday  morning  to  San 
Marco,  with  the  wonderful  frescoes  of  Fra  Angelico  in 
the  convent  there,  now  a  government  museum,  and  the  cell 
from  which  Savonarola  went  forth  to  die.  It  never 
seemed  so  real  to  me  before.  An  hour  was  given  also  to 
the  church  of  San  Lorenzo,  with  its  double-starred  new 
sacristy  and  Medici  chapel.  To-morrow  we  must  go  to 
the  Academy  of  the  Belle  Arti.  Of  course  we  have  given 
due  attention  to  the  Duomo  and  Giotto's  tower  and  the 
Baptistery.  The  Duomo  is  now  resplendent  in  its  fagade, 
completed  only  last  year.  At  the  Baptistery  we  witnessed 
an  infant  sprinkling  (what  a  contradiction  in  that  place!), 
and  at  San  Lorenzo  witnessed  a  bridal  procession  issue  as 
we  entered.  There  was  a  wealth  of  lovely  bouquets 
fastened  to  the  doors  of  the  carriages,  but  the  bride  seemed 
neither  young  nor  beautiful.  .  .  .  Two  afternoons 
we  have  sauntered  on  Lung  Arno,  looking  at  the  pretty 
bric-a-brac  in  this  capital  of  bric-a-bracdom,  and  one  bright, 
clear  afternoon  we  rode  in  a  carriage  on  the  famous  and 
beautiful  ride  over  the  hills  of  San  Miniato,  enjoying  a 
lovely  view  of  the  city,  river  and  encircling  hills.  This 
paper  was  made  at  Ponte  di  Lima,  about  three  miles  from 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       269 

Cutigliano,  where  also  all  the  government  stamp  paper 
is  made.    We  like  it,  specially  considering  the  low  price." 

Apropos  of  this  love  of  the  beautiful  in  art  and  nature, 
which  was  so  strong  in  Dr.  Taylor,  are  the  following  words 
from  his  younger  son: 

^'When  I  was  but  a  lad  my  father  took  me  to  the  Art 
Gallery  in  Bologna  and  made  me  sit  down  before  Kaphael's 
immortal  picture  of  St.  Cecilia  listening  to  heavenly 
music.  He  told  me  we  had  but  an  hour  to  stay  and  that 
this  was  the  gem  of  the  collection  and  deserved  our  whole 
time.  I  was  to  gaze  at  the  painting  earnestly  and  try  to 
fix  it  on  my  visual  memory  until  I  could  close  my  eyes 
and  see  again  each  detail.  Then  he  sent  me  through  the 
gallery,  looking  at  other  pictures,  pausing  now  and  again 
to  shut  my  eyes  and  attempt  to  call  up  the  St.  Cecilia,  and 
finally  coming  back  to  it  to  fill  in  such  details  as  were 
not  clear.  The  same  drill  was  carried  out  at  a  later  date 
before  the  wonderful  ^Descent  from  the  Cross'  by 
Rubens  in  the  Antwerp  Cathedral.  These  paintings  have 
remained  my  favorites.  He  taught  me,  too,  to  increase  the 
charm  and  delight  in  the  contemplation  of  nature  by  the 
same  process.  I  was  never  idly  to  observe  the  beauty  of 
a  scene  in  the  outside  world,  but  to  study  it  carefully,  look- 
ing for  the  details  which  heightened  the  general  effect 
and  analyzing  the  elements  of  light  and  shade  and  form 
and  color,  which  went  to  make  the  whole.  And  all  this 
was  from  one  who  could  not  draw  a  stroke.  His  sensitive- 
ness to  the  beautiful  had  its  counterpart  in  his  distaste  for 
everything  that  savored  of  grossness  or  vulgarity.  He  was 
naturally  refined  and  abhorred  impurity,  but  he  appro- 


270  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ciated  the  facility  with  which  one  may  be  contaminated, 
and  as  carefully  avoided  all  the  insidious  avenues  by  which 
evil  makes  entrance  into  the  human  heart,  as  if  he  were 
really  weak  in  that  direction." 

The  keen,  loving  interest  Dr.  Taylor  took  in  everything 
which  concerned  his  dear  ones,  not  to  speak  of  his  genuine 
sympathy  with  a  very  much  larger  circle,  and  his  wide- 
awake touch  with  the  affairs  of  men,  was  beautifully 
illustrated  in  December,  1888,  when  his  oldest  son  was 
married.  Xot  only  did  he  offer  him  any  financial  assist- 
ance he  might  need,  arrange  for  a  handsome  present,  and 
give  to  the  prospective  Benedict  affectionate  and  wise 
advice,  but  with  that  fine  sentiment  which  was  a  gracious 
characteristic  of  his  the  wedding  day,  as  the  following 
letter  shows,  was  observed  as  a  holiday  in  Rome,  though 
the  marriage  was  in  Virginia.  Under  date  of  December 
20th,  he  wrote  to  his  son : 

^'  .  .  .  Your  wedding  day  was  not  spent  by  us 
according  to  programme,  which  I  hope  was  not  the  case 
with  you  and  a  certain  fair  lady  of  the  Old  Dominion. 
.  .  .  To  begin  with,  I  passed  a  rather  sleepless  night 
preceding  the  19th.  .  .  .  Accordingly  the  morning 
family  prayers,  in  which  we  are  very  regular,  did  not  come 
off.  On  that  occasion  we  should  not  only  have  made 
special  prayer  together  for  you  and  your  promessa  sposa, 
but  several  appropriate  selections  from  the  Bible  and  other- 
wise would  have  been  read.  Susy,  however,  read  a  charm- 
ing book,  as  a  holiday  had  been  proclaimed.  I  had  an 
extra  shine  put  upon  my  gaiters,  and  bought  five  mazzetti 
of    lovely  flowers,  which    in  as  many  vases  gave    a  gala 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       271 

look  to  our  house.  One  of  the  five  was  of  white  roses. 
After  tea  we  gathered  in  the  parlour,  Mary  and  all,  be- 
fore a  lovely  fire,  and  after  talking  awhile  about  your 
wedding  and  mine,  Mary  craved  the  opening  of  the  box 
of  family  letters  and  papers,  which  was  made  up  when 
we  last  went  to  the  U.  S.  From  its  loft  it  came,  and  we 
were  soon  deep  in  its  contents;  various  letters  of  your 
mother,  written  before  our  marriage,  were  read.  .  .  . 
On  the  whole  we  were  following  somewhat  our  programme, 
when,  presto,  change!  Mr.  Paschetto  brought  up  various 
mission  affairs,  .  .  .  and  lo !  our  evening  was  gone. 
.  .  .  We  knelt  down  together  before  going  to  bed, 
praying  with  all  our  hearts  for  you  two.  .  .  .  God 
bless  you,  my  dear  son,  and  your  wife,  to  whom  give  a 
kiss  from  each  of  us." 

While  he  always  wrote  a  good  hand  Dr.  Taylor  was 
sure  to  pay  especial  attention  to  his  chirography  when- 
ever in  note  or  letter  a  lady  was  his  correspondent,  so  we 
find  the  penmanship  in  his  first  letter  to  his  new  daughter 
very  faultless.     It  is  dated    January  18th,  1889: 

"...  First  of  all  I  wish  to  add  another  to  the  list 
of  Charles  Lamb's  popular  fallacies,  that  ugly  couplet, 
viz.,  about  ^a  daughter  being  a  daughter,'  etc.,  ^but  a  son  is 
a  son,'  etc.  As  to  the  former,  I  cannot  say,  but  I  am 
constantly  more  and  more  convinced  of  what  I  never 
really  doubted,  that  I  have  not  lost  a  son,  but  gained  a 
true,  loving  daughter.  I  am  so  glad  that  you  like  Chapel 
Hill.  ...  It  impressed  me  as  a  pleasant  place  to 
live  at,  as  there  are  a  sufficient  number  of  cultured  per- 
sons  to   give   one    ample   social    advantages.      Besides,    I 


272  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

always  like  the  very  air  of  a  college.  ...  I  have 
always  held  that  the  wife  of  a  minister  has  no  official 
duties  whatever.  She  is  a  wife  and  she  is  a  Christian 
woman,  the  last  fact  making  it  her  duty  to  do  what  she 
can  for  Christ  and  His  cause ;  being  the  wife  of  a  pastor 
may  or  may  not  give  her  special  opportunities  of  service. 
.  .  .  I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  keeping  up  so  active  and  incessant  a  corre- 
spondence as  the  Taylors  for  as  far  back  as  I  remember, 
but  if  you  have  not,  your  letters  to  us  show  that  you  have 
not  only  the  facility  generally  attributed  to  your  sex,  but 
a  gift  all  your  own.  I  do  esteem  it  a  real  mercy  that  my 
new  daughter  is  such  a  good  correspondent,  for  I  have 
known  some  very  nice  and  intelligent  persons  who  never 
dream  of  writing  a  letter  unless  it  is  absolutely  necessary, 
and  then  only  a  few  cold  lines  in  the  style  of  a  telegram. 
I  believe  I  wrote  you  and  George  how  provokingly  .  . 
we  failed  to  keep  the  19th  of  December  according  to  our 
plan.  Nevertheless  T  read  in  those  days  a  deal  of  poetry, 
and  especially  read  and  re-read  the  Epithalamium,  or 
marriage  lay  of  Tennyson,  found  in  ^In  Memoriam.' 
It  is  not  stated  whether  Lushington  trod  on 
Cecilia  Tennyson's  train — at  least  I  did  not  mark  that 
item." 

If  this  volume  does  not  contain  numerous  letters  from 
Dr.  Taylor's  pen  to  his  nieces,  and  other  kin,  it  is  not 
because  these  letters  were  not  written,  but  chiefly  for 
lack  of  space.  The  following  extract  from  a  letter  written 
to  one  of  his  nieces,  dated  December  2Yth,  1889,  shows 
several  of  his  gracious  traits  of  character: 


KEV.  GEOEGE  BOAKDMAN  TAYLOK,  D.  D.       273 

^^  ...  If  my  chirographj  prove  a  little  shaky, 
please  attribute  it  to  Mary's  sewing  machine,  which  is  on 
the  same  table  as  this  sheet,  and  is  at  this  moment,  under 
her  energetic  hand,  going  like  mad.  We  are  passing  a 
very  pleasant  Christmas  week.  I  sent  books  to  several 
poor  Italian  children  and  some  little  things  to  Mrs. 
Eager's  bairns,  specially  to  the  boy  named  after  me. 
.  .  .  One  evening  I  took  little  George  Taylor  Eager 
to  see  by  gaslight  the  pretty  things  in  the  windows.  It 
was  no  easy  matter  piloting  a  three-year-old  child  on  the 
Corso,  crowded  with  vehicles  and  pedestrians,  but  I  was 
more  than  paid  by  his  exuberant  delight.  I  brought  him 
home  in  an  omnibus,  and  having  finished  his  cake  he  lay 
down  on  my  knees  and  went  fast  asleep.     ..." 

His  interest  in  his  nephews  and  nieces  did  not  con- 
fine itself  to  letters.  He  was  often  sending  first  to  one  and 
then  to  another,  pictures,  or  a  book,  or  money.  From  one 
of  his  nieces  the  following  sentences,  which  might  be 
duplicated  from  many  another  such  letter,  is  taken : 

"Thank  you  for  your  kind  Christmas  gift  which  was 
received  by  us  on  Christmas  day.  ...  I  intend  to 
expend  mine  in  something  I  have  long  wished  for,  but 
didn't  feel  that  I  ought  to  give  myself — a  riding  habit, 
and  every  time  I  wear  it  I  shall  thank  you  again  and 
again  for  it." 

The  next  two  extracts  from  letters  to  his  children  give 
glimpses  of  several  phases  of  Dr.  Taylor's  life  and  work 
in  superintending  the  Italian  Mission: 

"...  I  had  over  lire  10,000  to  get  off  in  eleven 
cheques,  and  there  is  a  deal  of  formality  as  to  preparing 


274  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

the  money,  putting  it  into  certain  form  and  making  the 
demand  for  the  cheques.  I  had  all  right,  except  that  two 
of  the  cheques  were  to  he  for  over  1,000,  and  so  by  the 
rules  of  the  bank  were  to  be  applied  for  in  a  different 
way.  So  my  pile  of  money  was  handed  back  and  I  sat 
down  to  work  out  the  thing.  .  .  .  There  was  no  help 
but  to  bring  my  money  and  papers  back  home  or  to  throw 
myself  on  the  mercy  of  the  court,  i.  e.,  of  the  cashier,  and 
as  there  was  a  lull  at  that  moment  in  the  crowd  at  his 
desk,  I  did  the  last.  He  was  very  much  amused,  but  most 
benevolent,  seeing  from  my  golden  (  !)  locks  that  I  was 
one  of  the  Angles  or  Angels,  and  so  fixed  my  affairs  in  a 
giffy.  I  was  feeling  badly,  and  so  was  willing  to  be 
pitied  and  smiled  at,  as  the  price  of  being  helped. 

"We  had  first  the  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Union  and 
then  that  of  our  own  evangelists.  I  was  made  president 
of  both  as  well  as  of  the  Executive  Committee,  ^o  sine- 
cure I  assure  you,  as  in  some  respects  it  would  be  easier 
to  preside  over  the  S.  B.  C.  than  over  these  twenty-five 
or  thirty  Italians.  But  the  meetings  went  well  and  I 
believe  did  good.  It  was  a  time  of  great  anxiety  to 
me,  so  that  I  passed  wakeful  nights  after  laborious  days, 
but  difficulties  were  surmounted  in  an  unexpected  way. 
So,  also,  I  did  not  break  down  or  have  any  severe  attack 
as  I  feared  I  would.  .  .  .  Our  meetings  were  from 
8  or  9  A.  M.  till  7  p.  m.,  and  then  preaching  at  8.30  p.  m. 
with  intermission  for  dinner.  We  had  each  day  ^ve  or 
six  to  dine  and  some  to  sup.  .  .  .  Mary  and  Susy 
spared  no  pains  to  entertain  (materially)  and  surprised 
me  by  their  resources,  while  they  captivated  the  hearts  of 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       275 

the  evangelists  with  their  sweet  faces,  bright  talk  and 
winning  ways." 

For  a  number  of  years,  in  the  little  English-speaking, 
evangelical  circle,  of  which  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  daughters 
were  members,  an  informal  but  interesting  literary  club 
was  kept  up.  Here  is  a  description  of  one  of  the  club's 
meetings,  from  Dr.  Taylor's  pen: 

''Our  club  has  been  on  Wordsworth  for  two  weeks  and 
would  be  one  or  two  more,  only  that  we  held  yesterday 
our  last  meeting  for  the  season ;  held  it  by  the  stream  and 
under  the  trees  in  the  lovely  Villa  Doria  Pampili,  than 
which  Wordsworth  himself  never  saw  anything  finer  in 
the  Lake  District.  We  read  yesterday  'Happy  Warrior' 
and  'Ode  to  Duty,'  and  I  also  read  while  the  rest  were 
eating  cake  a  description  by  Wordsworth  himself  of  that 
country.  When  the  sentence  was  reached  where  he  exalts 
the  Cumbrian  sky  at  the  expense  of  the  'cerulean  vacancy 
of  Italy,'  we  all  laughed,  for  the  sky  above  us  was  flecked 
with  fleecy  clouds  and  was  as  little  vacant  as  could  be. 
On  our  arrival  Spotswood  proposed  that  I  should  sit  on 
my  large  copy  of  Wordsworth.  ''No,  Spotswood,  I  shall 
not  sit  down  on  Wordsworth;  I  got  into  trouble  enough 
at  the  last  meeting  by  sitting  down  on  only  one  of  Words- 
worth^s  poems.'  (Company  much  tickled.)  That  one  was 
the  'Leech,  Gatherer,  or  Resolution  and  Independence,' 
which  our  English  friends  thought  a  gem  of  the  first 
water,  but  Mary  and  I  couldn't  see  it  and  expressed  our- 
selves freely  (especially  I)  to  that  effect.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say  that  for  many  of  Wordsworth's  poems  we 
have  unbounded  love  and  admiration." 


276  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

All  his  references  to  the  mission,  in  his  letters,  cannot 
be  given,  for  there  was  scarcely  ever  a  letter  to  any  one 
that  did  not  speak  of  what  was  always  upon  his  heart. 
The  quiet  progress  was  seen  as  the  years  passed  on.  On 
May  14th,   1890,  he  wrote  to  his  brother  Charles : 

'^  .  .  .  Really  if  I  were  not  feeling  too  stupid  to 
work  on  an  essay  in  Italian  on  ^Immersion  Essential  to 
Baptism,'  I  would  not  now  be  penning  these  lines.  .  . 
This  reminds  me  to  say,  with  gratitude,  that  from  being 
one  of  the  worst  sleepers,  I  have  become  a  very  good  one, 
usually  getting  from  seven  to  ten  hours  of  refreshing 
slumber  every  night." 

]^ot  very  long  afterwards  in  a  letter  to  one  of  his  sons 
he  says: 

"  .  .  .  You  ask  about  the  mission  work.  Clouds 
and  sunshine  mingle  in  our  sky.  Nicholas  Papengouth 
seems  to  be  getting  on  better  than  any  of  our  workers. 
Never  a  report  without  baptisms.  .  .  .  Old  Brother 
Ferraris  is  still  engaged  at  wayside  sowing.  On  the  9th 
our  new  chapel  at  Carpi  will  be  dedicated.  .  .  .  We 
are  having  just  now  three  candidates  for  the  ministry 
offered  to  and  almost  pressed  upon  us.  .  .  .  At 
Venezia  there  is  a  young  candidate." 

A  paragraph  from  Dr.  Taylor's  "Italy  and  the  Italians" 
gives  the  setting  of  the  next  letter: 

"In  April,  1891,  the  ninth  International  Conference  of 
the  Evangelical  Alliance  was  held  in  Florence.  Members 
were  present  from  twenty  different  countries,  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  Italian  evangelists  from  all  over  Italy, 
and  of  all  the  different  denominations.     ...     A  very 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOAKDMAN  TAYLORj  D.  D.       277 

agreeable  episode  was  the  sending  of  a  telegram  convey- 
ing the  salutations  and  best  wishes  of  the  Alliance  to  the 
King  of  Italy,  and  his  sympathetic  response." 
The  letter  is  dated  Florence,  April  7th,  1891 : 
''  .  .  .  I  am  most  pleasantly  situated  as  the  guest 
of  the  Evangelical  Alliance.  .  .  .  This  p.  m.,  of  the 
four  addresses  on  Italian  Evangelization,  I  made  one — in 
English.  I  have  no  idea  how  I  did,  but  it's  over,  that's 
a  comfort.  It  is  pleasant  meeting  Italian  brethren  of  all 
denominations,  and,  in  general,  a  good  feeling  prevails. 
I  have  also  met  several  English-speaking  friends,  includ- 
ing Dr.  Culross,  president  of  the  famous  Bristol  College, 
which  recalls  Drs.  Ryland,  Hale,  Foster,  etc.  .  .  . 
This  is  a  rambling  old  palace  whose  topography  I  may 
so  far  master  by  the  end  of  the  week  as  not  to  run  up  the 
wrong  stairs,  down  the  wrong  passages  and  into  the  wrong 
rooms,  but  which  to  know  thoroughly  would  require  yet 
another  week.  ...  I  rose  early  this  morning  and 
went  to  the  morning  prayer-meeting.  It  is  one  of  the  best 
features,  marked  by  spirituality.  We  had  over  twenty 
short  prayers  in  German,  French,  Italian  and  English. 
I  prayed  in  my  native  tongue.  .  .  .  Last  night  the 
correspondent  of  the  London  Times  asked  for  my  address, 
so  I  spent  two  hours  writing  it  out  for  him.  Mary  was  in 
the  French  section  and  heard  Godet.  .  .  .  The 
prayer-meeting  grew  so  in  numbers  that  it  is  now  held  in 
the  theatre  proper.  I  heard  Stocker,  the  court  preacher, 
deliver  in  German  his  address  on  Socialism,  and  I  had  a 
printed  Italian  translation  which  I  read  as  he  spoke. 
Pastor  Bauman  of  Berlin  sits  opposite  to  me  at  meals,  and 


278  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

seems  a  fine,  cordial  fellow.  ...  I  have  liked  spe- 
cially well  the  addresses  of  Mr.  !N'icholson  of  Dublin, 
Donald  Eraser  of  London,  and  Dr.  Boardman  of  Phila- 
delphia. ...  I  was  a  good  deal  surprised  when  yes- 
terday Signor  Torino,  one  of  the  older  and  more  influential 
Waldenses,  came  to  me  and  with  great  cordiality  said: 
'Ella  non  ha  mai  parlato  contro  nessuno.  Gli  altri  si 
graffiano.'  'You  have  never  talked  against  any  one.  The 
others  scratch  one  another.'  It  was  a  testimony  which 
may  well  encourage  me  to  persevere  as  I  have  so  far,  with 
God's  help,  in  a  quiet,  straightforward,  pacific  course,  hold- 
ing and  proclaiming  what  I  believe  to  be  the  teachings  of 
God's  word,  but  not  fighting  any  one." 

In  a  letter  written  later  the  same  month,  he  apologizes 
to  one  of  his  sons  for  not  sending  him  a  birthday  present, 
saying  that  ''certain  gifts  and  loans,  and  expenses  so  as 
to  make  an  additional  guest  fairly  comfortable  without 
making  ourselves  unfairly  uncomfortable,  made  this 
rather  a  tight  squeeze  of  a  trimistre,  and  you  and  I  know 
each  other's  hearts."  Dr.  Taylor  was  always  making 
gifts,  and  his  generosity  to  his  children  knew  no  bounds; 
he  often  denied  himself  almost  the  necessities  of  life  that 
he  might  be  able  to  give  presents  to  his  loved  ones  and 
friends. 

In  a  letter  to  his  sister  he  refers  to  a  meeting  of  the 
literary  club,  which  has  already  been  mentioned : 

"...  At  the  meeting  of  last  Saturday  each  one 
brought  a  slip  of  paper  with  a  list  of  the  ten  English  short 
poems  he  would  prefer  to  send  to  an  International 
Literary  Exposition  as  best  representing  English  poetry. 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       279 

Milton's  Tjcidas,'  'II  Penseroso,'  'L' Allegro' ;  Gray's 
^Elegy' ;  Collins'  Ode  'How  Blest  the  Brave' ;  'The  Sky- 
lark' and  'The  Cloud,'  by  Shelley;  Wordsworth's  'Ode  to 
Duty,'  his  'Ode  on  Intimations  of  Immortality'  and  his 
'Lines  on  the  Cuckoo' ;  Mrs.  Browning's  'Pan  is  Dead' ; 
Robert  Browning's  'How  They  Brought  the  News  from 
Ghent  to  Aix' ;  Tennyson's  'Sir  Galahad' ;  Cowper's 
'Lines  on  Receiving  His  Mother's  Picture' ;  Burns' 
'Cotter's  Saturday  Night,' — these  fifteen  were  among  those 
mentioned.  How  would  my  sister  and  my  two  brothers 
have  made  the  list?" 

A  letter  dated  Rome,  St.  John  the  Baptist's  Day  (June 
24th,  1891),  has  several  items  and  allusions  of  interest: 

"Here  is  a  tempting  half  sheet — why  not  fill  it  with 
words  to  you  ?  'No  objection  made  by  devil's  advocate 
or  other  party,  and  there's  positive  reason  for  doing  it, 
in  my  laziness,  due  to  not  having  gotten  sleep  enough 
last  night,  because  we  went,  five  of  us,  to  the  great  cele- 
bration of  St.  John's  Eve  at  St.  John  in  Lateran  last 
night,  and  did  not  get  back  till  midnight,  and  then  Mary 
and  I  talked  awhile  and  finally,  like  Charles  Lamb,  by 
contraries,  having  gone  to  bed  late  I  made  up  for  it  by 
rising  early  and  taking  an  hour  before  breakfast  this 
morning  with  my  New  Testament  under  certain  deli- 
ciously  fragrant  trees  in  front  of  Bunsen's  old  home  on 
the  Capitoline.  There  are  two  sufficient  reasons  why  I 
do  not  try  to  picture  to  you  that  strange  blending  of 
poetry  and  saturnalia  of  last  night :  first,  I  couldn't  do  it, 
and,  besides,  it's  possible  Mary  of  Argyle  may  make  a  pen 
picture  of  it  all  for  the  Atlantic  Monthly.     I  take  it  for 


280  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

granted  jou  have  not  so  neglected  your  education  as  to 
omit  her  four  already  appeared." 

In  a  letter  almost  a  month  later,  to  his  daughter  Jessie, 
he  wrote : 

"...  For  one  thing,  the  Carnival  has  been  in 
progress,  and  though  till  yesterday  we  have  made  no 
attempt  to  see  the  show,  many  of  the  masqueraders  and 
several  of  the  allegorical  representations  have  been  seen 
incidentally,  while  yesterday  the  girls  got  standing  room 
on  the  Corso,  and  saw  all,  and  in  the  evening  we  assisted 
at  the  moccolette,  far  more  brilliant  than  it  has  ever  been 
before,  and  continued  for  over  an  hour,  from  6  to  after  7. 
Instead  of  simple  tapers,  torches  giving  colored  lights 
were  used,  and  the  Corso  was  one  scene  of  wild  fun  and 
blazing  glory.  "We  came  home  dead  tired — you  know 
how  fatiguing  it  is  to  stand,  but  Mary  and  Susy,  who  had 
let  Agnese  go,  served  tea  and  eggs  in  five  minutes.  It 
seemed  like  magic,  and  then  we  all  went  to  bed.  I  am 
glad  the  Carnival  is  over.  .  .  .  Along  with  the  bright, 
poetical  part  is  a  deal  of  rowdyism,  and  worse.  I  got 
caught  in  the  throng  for  one  block  yesterday,  and  was 
banged  on  the  head  with  so-called  bouquets  till  my  head 
ached.  .  .  .  Every  mail,  every  newspaper  nearly, 
seems  to  bring  news  of  friends,  more  or  less  well  known 
and  loved,  who  have  passed  over  to  the  majority.  This 
morning  we  hear  of  the  decease  not  of  a  contemporary  of 
mine,  but  of  a  brilliant  young  man,  and,  thank  God,  as 
good  as  brilliant — Harry  Smith,  son  of  Prof.  Frank  Smith 
at  the  University  of  Virginia.  What  shadows  we  are, 
what  shadows  we  pursue !" 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       281 

In  the  spring  of  1892  the  Italian  Baptist  churches  all 
over  Italy  united  in  holding  a  bazaar  in  Rome.  Mr.  S. 
L.  Clemens  (Mark  Twain)  was  in  Rome  at  the  time  and 
Dr.  Taylor  asked  him  to  speak  at  the  bazaar;  Mr. 
Clemens,  not  being  at  all  well,  declined  the  invitation. 
Some  3,000  lire  was  made  by  the  bazaar.  In  the  follow- 
ing letter  Dr.  Taylor  tells  of  some  of  the  gifts  for  the 
bazaar  which  came  from  the  various  churches: 

'^  .  .  .  Soon  there  arrived  a  pacco  postale  from 
Torre  Pellice  (similar  pacchi  arrive  often  now  from  our 
various  churches  for  the  bazaar)  ;  it  contained  other  things, 
but  chiefly  a  chamois  skin,  and  as  the  letter  asked  to  have 
it  unpacked  at  once  Signor  Paschetto  and  I  opened  the 
bundle.  The  skin  is  a  very  fine  specimen  and  very  valu- 
able, as  the  wild  goat  is  becoming,  at  least  about  Torre 
Pellice,  very  scarce.  The  horns  are  attached  as  in  life. 
Our  evangelist  of  Miglionico  has  sent  some  old  jars,  just 
as  dug  up.  Some  are  small  and  imperfect,  one  or  two  are 
large  and  with  no  flaw.  As  they  come  from  a  simple 
out-of-the-way  place,  they  are  certainly  genuine,  and  as 
the  region  was  a  part  of  Magna  Graecia,  they  must  be  very 
ancient.  Signor  ISTicholas  Papengouth,  who  considers 
himself  something  of  a  connoisseur,  has  sent  a  Madonna 
and  child  painted  on  copper,  and  framed  in  hard  black 
wood,  carved.  It  is  perhaps  eight  by  ten  inches.  He 
attributes  it  to  an  old  Milanese  painter  and  values  it  at 
100  lire.  Signor  Arbanasich  is  going  to  send,  besides 
miscellaneous  articles,  a  large  collection  of  crystals  and 
other  stones,  as  well  as  shells  and  flowers,  prepared  under 
the  direction  of  the  professor  in  Cagliari,  said  to  be  of 


282  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

European  fame.  They  will  go  far  to  represent  three 
kingdoms  of  Sardinia's  natural  history,  though  I  am  not 
sure  if  that  term  includes  mineralogy.  Signor  Fasulo  has 
sent  a  picture  painted  by  himself.  .  .  .  Whether  we 
get  little  money  or  more,  the  movement  has  done  good  to 
all  who  have  worked  for  it,  and  I  hope  will  also  draw 
nearer  together  all  the  Baptists  of  Rome,  not  to  say  Italy." 

During  this  year  Spotswood  spent  some  months  at 
home  and  before  the  family  left  Rome  for  the  summer 
he  took  an  excursion  which  is  referred  to  in  a  letter  his 
father  wrote  June  19th,  1892 : 

"  .  .  .  Day  before  yesterday  Spotswood  went 
to  Bracciano,  as  he  seemed  to  have  set  his  heart  on  it. 
As  he  had  to  get  off  at  3  a.  m.,  none  of  us  slept  much  that 
night,  but  when  he  returned  delighted  and  enthusiastic 
with  the  old  castle,  so  admired,  you  remember,  by  Sir 
Walter  Scott,  we  felt  amply  repaid." 

All  through  the  years  answering  multitudinous  letters 
in  Italian,  and  many  of  them  disagreeable  and  annoying, 
formed  no  small  part  of  Dr.  Taylor's  work.  The  follow- 
ing extract  from  a  letter,  to  one  of  his  sons,  bears  upon 
this  subject: 

"I  remember  that  I  spoke  of  my  habit  of  replying,  even 
to  the  most  offensive  letters  from  our  evangelists,  with 
delicacy  and  with  Christian  charity,  but  it  is  quite  neces- 
sary to  complete  the  statement  by  saying  that  this  is  not 
done  without  a  struggle.  Sometimes  for  a  day,  or  for 
days,  my  heart  is  seething  with  hurt  and  indignant  feel- 
ings whenever  the  matter  occurs  to  me,  but  I  wait  till  all 
this  is  past,  and  by  prayer  and  time  I  can  write  with  entire 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       283 

calmness,  looking  at  the  subject  from  the  other  person's 
point  of  view,  and  putting  the  most  favorable  construction 
upon  his  words,  and  remembering  that  he  may  have 
written  in  an  access  of  feeling  and  has  not  expressed  his 
own  habitual  sentiments.  Yes,  I  have  learned  to  wait 
before  writing — once  I  used  to  write  at  once,  but  keep 
the  letter  for  a  day,  but  as  it  nearly  always  had  to  be 
rewritten,  and  sometimes  more  than  once,  I  find  that 
it  is  wise  every  way  to  delay  till  all  the  grieved  and 
angry  feeling  of  my  heart  has  boiled  over,  and  left  a 
calm.  .  .  .  Now  do  not  misunderstand  me;  so  far 
from  arrogating  to  myself  any  'meekness  of  wisdom,' 
what  I  mean  is  that  when  I  do  arrive  at  it,  it  is  only  after 
a  severe,  and  protracted  struggle  in  which  God  gains  the 
victory  over  my  evil,  and,  alas !  strong,  impulses." 

In  a  letter  to  his  older  son  he  says: 

"...  You  refer  to  the  death  of  Frank  Wilson. 
This  last  was  a  painful  shock  to  me,  and  I  have,  of  course, 
written  a  letter  of  heartfelt  sympathy  to  the  sorely  be- 
reaved ones,  feeling  that  the  loss  was  a  personal  one  to 
me  also." 

On  August  15th,  1892,  he  wrote  to  his  older  son  from 
the  Bagni  di  Lucca.  He  refers  to  Rev.  Dr.  J.  M.  Frost, 
Secretary  of  the  Sunday  School  Board,  Nashville,  Tenn., 
and  to  C.  B.  Willingham,  Esq.,  a  deacon  in  the  First 
Baptist  Church,  Macon,  Ga. : 

"I  am  sitting  under  the  shade  of  the  ample  plane  trees 
in  the  plateau,  called  garden,  of  the  Casa  Bertini,  which 
you  remember  so  well  and  pleasantly.  I  am  feeling  lan- 
guid and  perhaps  lazy,  and  finding  it  a  deal  easier  to  look 


284  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

at  the  mountains  bathed  in  purple  mist,  and  the  sea  of 
green  above  me,  and  bits  of  blue  sky  between  the  leaves, 
than  to  write  an  article  for  Dr.  Frost  and  his  Teacher,  on 
Italy.  .  .  .  The  generous  promise  of  your  noble 
deacon  rejoices  my  heart,  and  is  likely  to  turn  the  scale 
in  favor  of  the  Miglionico  people.  Certainly  I  shall  write 
to  him.  .  .  .  Spotswood  and  Susy  are  to  have  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Curry  and  their  niece  as  fellow-passengers." 

Another  letter  bearing  date  of  September  13th,  1892, 
was  written  at  Bagni  di  Lucca,  and  in  the  garden: 

''  .  .  .  Saturday  p.  m.  we  went  on  a  picnic  to 
Benabbio.  It  was  a  rather  serious  climb  for  me,  specially 
as  we  went  pretty  straight  up,  and  not  in  the  gentle,  easy 
step  I  prefer  for  climbing.  The  originators  were  General 
Anderson  and  family.  He  is  an  old  East  Indian,  who 
reads  the  Scriptures  at  church ;  his  wife  is  a  very  clever, 
kind  lady,  and  her  sisters  somewhat  the  same.  There  are 
two  very  nice  daughters  and  a  niece  whose  father  and 
mother  were  killed  in  the  Sepoy  Eebellion." 

A  week  later  he  wrote  describing  another  excursion  on 
which,  while  waiting  for  the  younger  people  of  the  party 
to  return  from  a  tramp,  he  was  able  to  present  the  gospel 
to  a  crowd  of  people  in  the  open  air: 

'^  .  .  .  But  at  least  an  hour  was  spent  in  a  far 
different  way,  for  followed  by  the  poor  children  of  the 
place  for  baksheesh,  and  having  dispensed  all  my  small 
change  (sixty  centesimi),  and  the  crowd  of  children  and 
women  continuing  to  come,  moved  largely  by  curiosity,  I 
addressed  the  crowd  at  length,  in  a  colloquial  way,  on  the 
love  and  saving  work  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  got  R.  Lowe  to 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       285 

sing  a  child's  hymn  and  'Sicuro  in  mun  di  Cristo'  [''Safe 
in  the  Arms  of  Jesus"].  All  seemed  much  impressed, 
and  one  woman  said,  'Your  religion  is  better  than  oui-s.' 
It  was  really  a  fine  opportunity  for  seed-sowing;  God 
grant  that  it  may  not  be  all  in  vain!  .  .  .  One  of 
the  regrets  of  my  pastorate  in  Staunton  is  that  I  did  not 
pay  more  attention  to  the  Jews  there.  The  attention  you 
received  on  the  train  from  a  Hebrew  suggests  to  me  to 
ask  whether  there  is  not  a  work  for  you  among  that  people 
in  Macon.  Of  course  if  there  is  a  synagogue,  the  matter 
is  different.  But  may  not  Jews  often  take  up  the  cry, 
'No  man  cared  for  my  soul  V  The  Jews  are  a  most  liberal 
and  philanthropic  class,  as  I  have  found.  Of  course  the 
chief  thing  to  do  is  to  win  their  love  and  confidence,  and 
stand  up  for  them,  and  some  of  the  young  men  might, 
with  God's  blessing,  be  won  to  Jesus.  Many  of  them  are 
chiefly  infidel  and  indifferent." 

The  news  of  the  birth  of  his  first  grandchild  called 
forth  a  letter,  dated  I^ovember  12th,  1892: 

"Never  had  man  a  surprise  greater  and  more  agreeable 
than  I  had  this  morning  in  receiving  yours  of  the  31st 
ultimo,  announcing  the  birth  to  you  and  Jessie  of  a 
son.  For  months  it  has  been  my  daily  cry  to  God  to  give 
you  a  child,  to  be  trained  for  His  service,  and  to  become 
a  great  comfort  to  you  both,  and  a  blessing  to  the  world. 
.  .  .  It  gives  me  a  queer  feeling  to  be  a  grandpapa. 
I  must  be  a  better  man  and  I'll  try." 

In  a  letter  dated  December  14th,  1892,  he  gives  timely 
advice  to  his  son  who  was  a  preacher: 

"...     Before  I  doff  my  critic's  cap  let  me  ask 


286  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

if  it  were  well  to  speak  of  Cleveland's  election  in  your 
Thanksgiving  address.  I  trow  not.  It  seemed  very 
natural  and  proper  to  you  and  the  people  no  doubt,  but 
the  like  of  that  is  just  the  entering  wedge  to  bringing 
politics  in  the  pulpit,  as  they  did  and  perhaps  still  do  in 
"New  England.  ...  As  a  citizen,  sympathize  and 
rejoice  with  all  your  heart  at  what  you  think  best  for  the 
South  and  the  country,  but  bring  it  not  into  the  house  of 
God  and  the  pulpit." 

To  his  younger  daughter,  who  was  at  this  time  in  the 
United  States,  he  wrote  fully  as  to  her  plans,  urging  her 
at  whatever  cost  to  seek  a  full  reestablishment  of  her 
health : 

"  .  .  .  Go  in  August  for  two  or  three  weeks  to 
the  Rockbridge  Baths.  .  .  .  Now  I  shall  be  very 
much  hurt  and  displeased  at  your  allowing  any  notions 
of  economy  to  influence  you  on  the  subject  of  this  letter 
and  specially  in  the  matters  of  the  Rockbridge  Baths. 
It  would  be  false  econojny.  You  need  to  get  well.  Life 
is  not  worth  living  without  health.  ...  I,  too,  am 
a  fairly  good  economist.  I  hate  debt  and  can  truly  say 
that  I  owe  no  man  anything." 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  introduce  at  this  point 
some  sentences  written  by  Dr.  Taylor's  younger  son,  and 
illustrating  his  father's  careful  economy,  and  large 
liberality : 

^^I  learned  as  a  very  small  child  that  my  father  was  a 
very  busy  man.  But  he  was  always  patient  of  inter- 
ruptions, and  when  he  could  not  attend  to  me  at  once  he 
always  had  some  pleasant  suggestion  for  passing  the  time 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       287 

I  had  to  wait.  He  would  hand  me  a  book  open  at  a  place 
that  was  sure  to  interest  me  or  give  me  a  scrap  of  paper, 
and  tell  me  what  to  draw  or  write  about. 

^' These  scraps  of  paper  were  peculiar  to  his  study  and 
illustrate  his  minute  economy  and  good  sense.  Such  a 
thing  as  a  scratch  pad  bought  for  mere  scribbling  or 
memoranda  was  unheard  of  in  our  home.  Father  saved 
every  envelope  to  turn  inside  out,  every  unused  page  or 
half  page  that  came  to  him  in  a  letter,  even  wrapping 
paper  that  was  not  too  soiled  or  coarse,  and  put  them  away 
in  a  special  portfolio.  From  this  store  he  drew  for  him- 
self and  his  children  alike.  I  can  see  that  old  portfolio 
yet,  and  the  accounts  and  estimates  and  skeletons  of  ser- 
mons and  various  odds  and  ends,  written  on  bits  of  paper 
in  his  clear,  small  characters,  generally  with  a  mere  stub 
of  a  pencil.  Such  method  explains  how  with  a  large 
family,  on  a  moderate  salary,  he  could  accomplish  what 
he  did;  how  he  could  from  time  to  time  be  a  patron  of 
art  and  letters,  make  donations  to  colleges,  contribute  to 
public  enterprises,  and  assist  the  countless  poor  that  ap- 
plied to  him  for  clothes  and  food  and  money.  If  any  one 
individual  of  the  many  to  whom  he  was  a  loving  bene- 
factor, full  of  delicacy  and  sympathy,  could  have  known 
all  his  good  deeds,  he  would  have  seemed  to  that  one  a 
rich  man,  for  the  privations  that  enabled  him  to  be  liberal, 
as  well  as  generous,  were  a  secret.  Our  faithful  old  cook 
never  got  over  the  shock  to  her  feelings  on  the  occasion 
when  my  father  interrupted  her  in  +he  act  of  turning  off 
from  the  door  a  shabby  genteel  beggar  sadly  in  want  of 
shoes.     He  hurried  to  his  room,  and  changing  his  shoes 


288  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

for  an  older  pair  brought  out  and  presented  the  mendicant 
with  the  ones  he  had  been  wearing." 

From  Taormina,  Sicily,  April  14th,  1893,  he  wrote  to 
his  brother  Charles: 

^'As  Mary  and  I  were  riding  the  other  day  in  the  tram 
car  along  the  Villa  Eeale  in  Xaples,  .  .  .  who  should 
run  up  but  Mr.  Jenks,  just  returned  from  Greece,  .  .  . 
Professor  Jenks  of  Cornell.  .  .  .  He  is  one  of  the 
brightest  and  most  genial  gentleman  I  know,   and  Mrs. 

J is  just  as  nice.     His  professorship  is  of  Political 

Institutions,  and  he  has  a  year's  vacation.  .  .  .  His 
letters  get  him  introductions  to  statesmen  in  every  country, 
and  he  knows  several  languages.  In  Pome  the  chief  men 
gave  him  interviews  as  long  as  he  liked,  and  answered 
freely  all  his  questions,  and  so  it  has  been  at  the  Court  of 
St.  James,  etc.'' 

In  the  spring  of  1893,  being  far  from  well,  upon  the 
advice  of  the  doctor  to  get  away  from  Rome  he  set  out 
with  his  daughter  on  a  trip  to  Southern  Italy,  combining 
recreation  and  sight-seeing  with  visits  to  churches  and 
evangelists.  In  writing  to  his  brothers,  on  this  trip,  be- 
sides descriptions  of  what  he  saw,  there  was  an  urgent 
invitation  that  each  brother  would  send  one  of  his 
daughters  to  be  for  a  winter  a  guest  in  the  home  at  52 
Via  Giulio  Romano.  Before  this  journey  was  over  there 
were  calls  for  him  to  come  to  I^orthern  Italy.  On  this 
trip,  from  Messina,  he  wrote  to  one  of  his  sons : 

"For  some  time  I  had  been  invited  to  come  and  baptize 
several  persons,  who,  from  Roman  Catholicism,  had  come 
to  the  gospel  through  the  influence  and  teaching  of  Signor 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       289 

Antonio  Fiori,  a  Baptist,  and  a  commercial  traveller. 
Yesterday  morning  after  our  coffee,  gotten  at  a  nice  cafe, 
I  left  Mary  to  wander,  and  hied  me  to  the  place  indicated. 
I  found  a  mother  and  her  two  daughters,  with  whom  a 
very  satisfactory  conversation  was  had ;  the  young  ladies 
specially  impressed  me  with  their  intelligence  and  de- 
cision. The  brother,  who  was  in  the  civil  service,  was  sent 
for  but  not  found,  so  I  left,  saying  I  would  remain  in  my 
room  at  their  disposition.  Later  he  called  on  me  with  a 
friend  (a  Brigadiere  di  Finanza),  also  a  disciple,  and 
asking  for  baptism.  We  arranged  for  the  rite  at  a  hydro- 
pathic at  5  p.  M.  At  that  hour  and  place  I  baptized 
all  of  them.  It  was  on  the  ground  floor,  in  a  lovely  flower 
garden.  The  people  were  respectful  and  sympathetic, 
and  all  went  well.  Before  the  baptism,  we  had  a  little 
service  in  the  parlour.  .  .  .  Only  two  other  persons, 
besides  the  candidates  and  Mary  and  me,  were  present — 
friends  of  the  parties.  We  then  went  to  the  Berti  home, 
and  spent  an  hour  in  singing,  conversation,  prayer. 
Vermut  and  hiscotti  were  served.  There  is  a  dear 
little  girl,  the  youngest,  perhaps  ten,  who,  I  trust,  loves  the 
Saviour,  and  who  has  witnessed  for  Him  and  His  truth 
among  the  neighbors  in  a  modest,  simple  way.  Then 
there  is  another  son,  a  fine  boy  of  sixteen  or  seventeen, 
who  seemed  to  enjoy  the  service,  though  he  was  not, 
probably  could  not  be,  at  the  baptizing.  When  we  left 
for  our  hotel  the  young  people  proposed  to  accompany  us. 
Young  Signor  Berti  explained  to  me  that  he  always  took 
his  sisters  out  in  the  evening,  as  they  had  few  friends  or 
recreations.     I  treated  the  party  to  ices,  six  of  which,  not 


290  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

mezzi,  costing  thirty  sous,  to  which  I  added  six  for  the 
waiter.  After  vermut  and  then  a  citron  ice,  I  did  not  like 
to  eat,  so  went  supperless  to  bed." 

Not  long  after  this  trip  to  Sicily  came  one  to  the  mission 
stations  in  Sardinia : 

^'  .  .  .  And  so,  last  Friday,  at  noon,  I  started,  but 
the  train  being  detained,  and  lingering  over  five  hours  on 
the  road,  Civita  Vecchia  was  reached  just  after  the 
steamer  was  gone.  It  was  very  vexatious,  but  I  made  the 
best  of  it  and  passed  the  twenty-four  hours  there  not  un- 
pleasantly, reading,  and  walking  by  the  sea,  or  looking 
about  the  port.  The  question  was  as  to  the  course  of 
duty.  My  steamer  ticket  was  already  bought,  or  I  would 
probably  have  returned  to  Rome.  The  other  alternatives 
were  to  stay  forty-eight  hours  more  at  Civita  Vecchia  or 
push  on  and  spend  the  Sunday  on  the  train,  which  last 
I  decided  to  do.  The  voyage  was  not  bad  exactly,  but 
the  rain  drove  me  below,  and  I  passed  an  almost  sleep- 
less night.  One  episode  was  very  gratifying,  a  long  con- 
versation with  two  ingenuous  young  soldiers  (sergeants) 
going  to  their  regiments.  One  of  them  was  in  a  peculiarly 
tender  frame  of  mind,  having  just  lost  his  mother.  I  took 
their  addresses  and  promised  to  send  them  Testaments, 
which  yesterday  I  did.  I  wondered  if  I  had  been  allowed 
to  miss  the  Friday  night  steamer  in  order  to  have  this 
interview.  Pray  for  these  two  precious  young  men, 
sincere  Catholics,  piously  inclined,  but  till  then  ignorant 
of  the  gospel,  and  withal  truly  interesting,  such  as  Jesus 
would  love,  as  He  did  the  young  ruler.  From  5.30  in 
the  morning  till  the  same  hour  in  the  evening,  I  was  on 


REV.  GEORGE  BOAEDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       291 

the  train,  in  a  compartment  to  myself  (except  for  the 
last  few  miles),  and,  what  with  my  New  Testament,  the 
Examiner  and  Milman's  History  of  Latin  Christianity, 
and  my  own  thoughts,  and  admiring  the  works  of  God,  the 
day  was  passed  as  it  might  have  been  in  my  own  study, 
and  certainly  no  one  was  influenced  by  my  example  in 
favor  of  Sunday  travelling.  I  hated  to  be  on  the  train 
on  that  day,  and  yet  I  could  not  see  that  I  did  wrong. 
Several  brethren,  including  Signor  Arbanasich,  met  me 
at  the  station  and  I  was  soon  under  the  sheltering  care  of 
the  Moors,  and  an  hour  or  so  later  at  the  meeting.  Mon- 
day night  we  had  another  service  and  I  spoke  on  I  Cor. 
XIII.  To-night  I  expect  to  preach,  and  then  to  leave  very 
early  to-morrow  morning  for  Iglesias,  where  we  shall  open 
a  new  locale,  and  I  shall  meet  Brethren  Tortonese  and 
Cossu." 

During  the  summer  of  1893,  Dr.  Taylor  and  his 
daughter  spent  a  season  in  Switzerland.  Up  to  this  time 
expense  had  always  prohibited  such  a  sojourn.  Xow  as 
there  were  only  two,  the  cost  was  not  such  a  barrier,  and, 
besides.  Dr.  Taylor's  health  called  for  a  complete  change 
of  climate.  In  a  letter  to  his  younger  son,  on  August  6th, 
from  Pension  Pfister,  Interlaken,  he  wrote: 

"  .  .  .  On  the  25th  ultimo,  we  came  third  class 
by  rail  over  the  famous  Briinig  pass,  and  then  by  steamer 
on  Lake  Brientz  to  this  place.  We  find  Interlaken  charm- 
ing. ...  Of  course  you  know,  or  think,  at  once  that 
the  name  Interlaken  simply  describes  its  position  [here 
is  inserted  a  sketch,  showing  the  two  lakes,  etc.].  One  of 
the  beauties  of  this  place  is  its  shade  trees,  many  of  them 


292  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

the  growth,  one  would  think,  of  centuries,  and  as  one 
walks  on  the  hills  and  mountains  around,  it  is  on  well- 
graded  paths  and  through  tall  balsamic  firs  and  pines,  sug- 
gesting the  Black  Forest,  while  here  and  there  are  com- 
fortable seats,  bearing  the  names  of  Byron,  Goethe, 
Shakespeare,  etc.  .  .  .  One  of  the  perfect  days  Mary 
and  I  went  by  train  third  class  to  Lauterbrunnen,  and 
having  seen  the  Staubach  falls  we  went  and  visited  the 
Triimmebach  falls.  This  last  involved  a  walk  of  some 
three  hours,  going  and  returning,  and  gave  us  a  keen 
appetite  for  the  lunch  which  Fraulein  Pfister  had  put  up 
for  us,  and  which  we  ate  at  a  quiet  restaurant. 
This  function  finished,  we  took  a  rack  and  pinion  train 
which  carried  us  up  nearly  perpendicularly  to  a  point 
where  we  changed  to  one  run  by  electricity  that  bore  us  to 
Miirren.  The  view  en  route  was  stupendous,  but  clouds 
and  rain  soon  came  up  and  we  were  glad  to  hurry  down, 
but  feeling  that,  if  like  the  King  of  France,  we  were  well 
repaid  for  the  time  and  money  spent.  Many  more  people 
wanted  to  come  down  from  Miirren  than  there  were  seats 
for,  but  though  burly  Germans  pushed  and  struggled,  some 
of  them  were  left  behind,  while  we  two  succeeded  in  get- 
ting aboard.  In  changing  trains  for  the  steeper  part,  the 
number  that  could  be  carried  was  reduced  one-half,  but 
again  fortune  or  Providence  combined  with  our  own  enter- 
prise to  make  us  of  the  favored  few.  We  came  back  at 
night  feeling  that  it  had  been  a  rare  day.  But  the  next 
was  even  better.  We  were  in  the  act  of  buying  railroad 
tickets  for  Grindelwald  when  Mary  suggested  that  we  go 
instead  by  carriage.     I,  of  course,  agreed,  and  soon  out  of 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       293 

several  applicants  she  had  combined  with  a  little  white- 
headed  old  driver  with  a  small,  comfortable  carriage,  and 
a  vigorous,  generous  horse.  Going  and  returning  we  had 
a  fine  time  amid  lovely  scenery,  the  Jungfrau,  the  Wetter- 
horn,  the  Eiger,  the  Schreiberhom,  rising  in  majesty 
before  us  on  one  side.  From  Grindelwald  we  walked  to 
the  upper  glacier  of  the  Wetterhorn,  and  entered  the  ice 
grotto.  It  all  occupied  some  three  and  one-half  hours, 
and  we  were  very  tired  when  it  was  done.  I  suffered 
much  from  the  hot  sun.  This  time  we  struck  a  very  swell 
restaurant,  and  under  the  trees,  surrounded  by  boarders 
and  tourists  like  ourselves,  we  ate  our  rolls  and  meat  and 
raspberries  that  we  had  brought  from  the  pension  and 
drank  a  pitcher  of  milk  brought  by  a  waiter  in  a  dress 
coat,  who  stepped  and  looked  as  if  the  place  and  all  the 
mountains  and  glaciers  around  belonged  just  to  him. 
When  we  came,  all  but  us  were  either  Russian, 

German  or  Belgians.     Since  then  a  lady,  Mrs.   D , 

from  Massachusetts,  has  come  with  her  three  daughters, 
one  of  them  rather  pretty  and  more  simpatica  than  pretty. 
As  they  seemed  rather  bored,  we  have  shown  them  some 
slight  attentions.  .  .  .  Do  not  think  of  us  as  gay. 
I  have  mission  work  every  day.  Mary  is  reading  French 
and  German  and  picking  up  all  she  can  in  conversation. 
Last  Sunday  she  went  to  the  Scotch  Church  and  this 
morning  to  the  German.  I  have  read  at  home  but  think 
of  going  to  one  of  the  churches  this  p.  m.,  for  though  I 
don't  hear,  yet  I  love,  or  ought  to,  the  place  where  the 
saints  gather  to  worship  God.     I  trust  I  do." 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  H.  H.  Harris,  Secretary 


294  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

ad  interim  of  the  Foreign  Mission  Board,  explains  itself. 
Dr.  Taylor  by  strict  economy  was  able  to  do  what  many 
men  would  have  counted  impossible: 

"EiCHMoxD,  Va.,  August  11th,  1893. 
"Kev.  George.  B.  Taylor,  D.  D., 

''Rome,  Italy. 

''My  dear  Brother — Yours  of  the  30th  ultimo,  written 
from  Interlaken,  is  received,  and  we  are  very  much  obliged 
for  the  measure  of  relief  which  you  are  able  to  afford  in 
the  matter  of  your  own  salary.  The  treasurer  of  another 
mission  has  drawn  on  us,  not  simply  for  one  month  in  ad- 
vance as  allowed,  but  for  three  months,  and  has  put  us  in 
very  great  embarrassment.  All  our  banks  in  this  city  have 
to-day  suspended  paying  in  currency  any  check  for  a 
larger  amount  than  $50.  Fnder  the  circumstances  they 
cannot  lend,  as  they  have  heretofore  done,  to  the  Board. 
The  outlook  is  very  gloomy  but  I  hope  will  be  brighter 
before   this   reaches  you.     .     .     .     " 

During  the  following  winter  (1893-'94)  he  alludes  in 
several  letters  to  some  of  the  books  he  was  reading, — Mil- 
man's  Latin  Christianity,  Macaulay,  Pepys,  Life  of  Victor 
Emmanuel  (by  a  sister  of  the  editor  of  The  Nation), 
History  of  the  Council  of  Trent  in  Italian,  by  Paolo 
Sarpi,  La  Vie  de  San  Frangois  d'Assisi,  by  Sabatier, 
History  of  the  Free  Churches  of  Italy,  and  to  some  of  the 
people  he  and  his  daughter  were  meeting,  among  them  the 
granddaughter  of  George  Sand,  Mr.  Jones,  the  American 
Consul,  and  his  sister  Miss  ^oble  Jones,  and  Miss  Bertha 
Willingham  "a  member  of  George's  church." 

Writing  to  his  older  son,   June   9th,    1894,   he  quotes 


REV.  GEOEGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       295 

from  a  letter  from  Professor  Harris.  Dr.  Taylor  had 
thought  of  resigning,  in  view  of  his  feeble  health.  He 
wrote: 

^'  .  .  .  Yesterday  I  received  a  letter  from  Dr. 
H.  H.  Harris,  in  the  absence  in  Mexico  of  Dr.  Willing- 
ham,  assuring  me  that  a  new  rule  of  the  Board  against 
which,  as  treasurer  of  the  Italian  Mission,  I  had  pro- 
tested, would  not  apply  to  me  or  to  my  mission;  and 
concluding  with  these  words :  'Pardon  me  for  adding  that 
the  Board  would  not  hear  for  a  moment  to  the  acceptance 
of  your  resignation.  We  appreciate  more  than  I  can  tell 
the  value  of  your  services.'  My  heart  had  been  divided 
between  the  pain  of  giving  up  this  work,  and  making  a 
new  start  so  late  in  life,  and  the  great  pleasure  of  being 
near  or  with  you.  .  .  .  But  now  the  question  seems 
settled.  I  could  not  abandon  this  work,  and  so  it  is 
probable  that  here  I  stay  till  death.  x\nd  I  shall  stay 
more  content  since  that  appreciative  word  from  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Board.  O  that  I  may  be  approved  of  Christ, 
which  is  the  main  thing!" 

In  a  letter  dated  Torre  Pellice,  June  26th,  1894,  written 
to  his  older  daughter,  he  makes  references  to  the  Misses 
Edith  and  Louise  Draper,  two  young  ladies  from  Holyoke, 
Mass.,  who  had  come  to  Rome  with  a  letter  of  introduction 
to  the  Taylors  from  the  Rev.  Robert  Walker,  of  ^N'aples, 
and  with  whom  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  daughter  spent  a 
number  of  weeks  in  the  Tyrol  during  that  summer. 
Little  did  he  dream  that  a  few  years  later  Miss  Louise 
Draper  would  become  the  wife  of  his  son  Spotswood. 

In  October,  1894,  the  chapel  at  Miglionico  was  dedi- 


296  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

cated.      In  a  letter  to  his    older    daughter,  Dr.    Taylor 
describes  the  occasion: 

^^Mr.  Eager  and  I  worked  until  ten  preparing  our  ad- 
dresses. As  we  moved  towards  the  chapel  we  met  a  band 
whose  piping  I  supposed  to  be  in  our  honor  (as  we  had 
been  serenaded  last  night),  and  I  was  preparing  to  smile 
on  them,  when,  'This  is  the  opposition  band,'  explained 
Piccinni ;  but  a  little  further  on  was  a  much  larger  one 
discoursing  sweet  music,  and  it  was  suggested  that  in  re- 
turn for  their  homage  we  should  pause  a  few  moments, 
which  we  did.  The  streets  were  crowded  with  people,  who 
eyed  us  curiously  but  not  with  hostility;  in  fact,  many 
men  raised  their  hats.  The  house  was  crowded.  After 
a  stanza  sung,  I  made  the  dedicatory  prayer ;  then  Piccinni 
read  a  chapter  and  spoke,  concluding  with  some  well 
chosen  words  of  self-defence ;  next  I  made  the  address 
of  circostanza  and  enjoyed  it  with  so  many  people  listen- 
ing earnestly;  finally  Mr.  Eager  spoke  and  prayed;  and 
so  in  an  hour  and  a  quarter  all  was  over;  we  thought  it 
best  to  make  the  service  short.  ...  Of  course  the 
clericals  made  a  counter  movement,  having  a  new  crucifix 
arrive;  at  first  the  authorities  forbade  a  procession,  but 
since,  under  the  pressure  of  the  priests,  and  in  dis- 
obedience to  the  laws,  have  conceded  it.  .  .  .  ITightly 
services  will  continue  in  the  chapel  all  this  week.  I  was 
about  to  forget  to  say  that  the  chapel  is  very  neat  and 
satisfactory,  without  and  within,  much  more  ornamented 
with  frescoes,  etc.,  than  I  had  expected ;  altogether  a  gem.'' 

During  the  spring  of  1895,  Dr.  J.  L.  M.  Curry  was  in 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       297 

Italy,  and  Dr.  Taylor  made  with  him  a  trip  to  Sicily.    The 
following  letter  refers  to  these  events: 

''  .  .  .  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  were  in  Rome  several 
weeks,  and  have  now  gone  to  Greece.  .  .  .  We  had 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  to  dinner  one  night  with  the  Rich- 
mond sculptor,  Ezekiel,  Mr.  Piggott,  the  brainiest  of  our 
Rome  preachers,  and  Miss  Miriam  Chittenden  to  meet 
them.  Ezekiel,  who  is  one  of  the  great  toasts  of  Rome, 
and  both  genial  and  a  genius,  made  himself  very  agreeable, 
and  as  we  gentlemen  lingered  (not  to  drink  or  smoke) 
after  the  ladies  left  the  table,  a  most  interesting  discus- 
sion on  art  ensued,  which  seemed  to  impress  Dr.  C 

very  much.     .     .     .     On  Dr.   C 's  proposal  he  and 

I  plan  to  go  to  Sicily  together  in  a  few  weeks  at  his  cost, 
which,  being  a  gift  to  the  Board,  I  hesitate  not  to  accept." 

In  a  letter  to  one  of  his  sons,  April  7th,  1895,  he  refers 
to  the  death  of  Dr.  John  A.  Broadus : 

^'  ...  It  was  a  terrible  shock,  as  I  knew  not  of  his 
illness  and  somehow,  though  he  was  six  years  my  senior, 
I  never  thought  of  outliving  him,  and  it  seemed,  too,  that 
one  so  useful  could  not  be  spared.  .  .  .  Although  so 
many  others  have  written  and  will  write  of  him,  I  still 
think  I  shall  attempt  a  sketch.  I  have  a  very  affectionate 
letter  from  Mrs.  Frank  Smith  of  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, in  which,  after  referring  to  the  interesting  reminis- 
cences in  the  Herald,  she  adds,  'But  we  feel  that  they  will 
not  be  complete  until  we  have  heard  from  you.' 
Outside  my  own  family  no  death  has  ever  affected  me  so 
much.  .  .  .  After  all  I  may  meet  my  dear  and 
revered  friend  sooner  than  if  he  lived.  In  any  case  he  is 
'with  Christ,  which  is  far  better.'  " 


CHAPTER  IX 

Visit  to  America  —  Literar>-  Work  —  Theological  School 
+ 

Spring  still  makes  spring  in  the  mind 

\Mien  sixtT  years  are  told; 
Love  wakes  anew  this  throbbing  heart. 

And  we  are  never  old. 

— Ralph   Waldo  Emersoyi. 

The  day  becomes  more  solemn  and  serene 
When  noon  is  past. 

— Shelley. 
+ 

I:^^  the  summer  of  1895  Dr.  Taylor,  accompanied  by  his 
daughter  Mary,  went  to  the  United  States,  expecting,  after 
a  few  brief  months  of  rest  and  fellowship  with  loved  ones 
and  friends,  to  return  in  the  early  fall.  While  visiting 
his  son  in  Appomattox  Dr.  Taylor  was  thrown  from  a 
buggy,  and  received  such  serious  wounds  on  the  head  that 
his  return  to  Italy  was  delayed  until  December.  When 
his  scars  were  scarcely  healed  he  attended  the  meeting  of 
the  Baptist  General  Association  in  Petersburg,  and  in 
response  to  the  request  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Whitsitt,  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Seminary,  addressed  the  students  in  Louisville. 
The  scars  on  his  forehead  and  his  appearance  of  great 
feebleness  made  the  touch  of  humor  with  which  he  began 
his  address  at  the  former  pl^ce  all  the  more  effective  and 
pleasant.  During  his  visit  to  Louisville,  Dr.  Whitsitt 
drove  him  out  to  "Cave  Hill"  to  visit  the  grave  of  Dr. 


7\  33 

^  2 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       299 

John  A.  Broadus.  Dr.  Whitsitt,  in  referring  to  this  inci- 
dent, said  that  while  standing  by  the  grave.  Dr.  Taylor, 
who  looked  as  if  he  might  not  be  far  from  his  own  grave, 
remarked  with  buoyancy  and  hope :  ''Well,  I  am  not  think- 
ing about  dying,  but  about  living  and  working."  This 
was  a  most  characteristic  remark ;  his  spirit  was  brave 
and  young  in  all  his  many  bodily  ailments,  and  to  the 
very  end  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Taylor's  younger  son,  a  physician,  writes  thus  of 
this  accident,  and  of  his  father's  interest  in  physicians 
and  their  science: 

"As  the  only  surgeon  within  reach,  it  became  my  painful 
duty  to  make  a  long  incision,  and  let  out  the  blood  which 
had  escaped  from  a  broken  vessel,  and  separated  the  scalp 
from  the  skull.  I  dreaded  the  task,  and  should  have  been 
unable  to  go  through  with  it  but  for  my  father's  fortitude. 

''My  father  held  the  medical  profession  in  high  esteem 
and  always  maintained  to  his  physicians  an  attitude  of 
loyalty,  unfortunately  by  no  means  common  nowadays. 
Even  when  he  had,  from  long  experience  of  his  ovm  con- 
stitution, doubts  as  to  the  probable  effects  of  prescription 
and  treatment  employed,  he  obeyed  to  the  letter  the 
directions  of  the  doctor  he  had  called  in,  as  in  honor 
bound.  He  was  deeply  interested  in  physiology  and 
anatomy,  and  felt  all  the  charm  of  brilliant  surgery.  Long 
before  I  was  old  enough  to  go  to  college  I  had  learned  from 
him  of  Lister's  great  work,  and  the  names  of  pioneers  in 
the  scientific  development  of  modern  medicine.  He  was 
always  hungry  for  new  facts  in  science,  and  hailed  with 
delight  each  new  discovery.     He  urged  upon  me  the  im- 


300  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

portance  of  the  so-called  minor  ailments,  and  begged  me 
not  to  neglect  them  for  diseases  of  greater  interest  from 
a  professional  standpoint.  He  held  that  in  the  aggregate 
more  suffering  came  to  humanity  from  the  despised  and 
vulgar  headache,  backache,  sore  throat,  boil,  etc.,  than  from 
maladies  of  rare,  and  more  distressing  kind,  and  that 
doctors  were  under  the  temptation  of  slighting  the  former 
for  the  latter.  He  insisted  on  my  learning  to  look  at  each 
case  from  the  standpoint  of  the  patient.  He  early  im- 
pressed upon  me  the  importance  of  hygiene  and  dietetics, 
and  urged  me  to  keep  in  sight  the  idiosyncrasies  of  the 
individual,  rightly  putting  them  ahead  of  drugs  and 
stereotyped  rules  in  healing  the  sick." 

From  Salem,  Va.,  on  October  23rd,  1895,  he  wrote 
to  one  of  his  sons: 

''  .  .  .  My  railroad  journey  was  felicitous. 
Hardly  was  it  begun  when  I  met  two  old  friends,  Murray, 
formerly  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Greenville, 
Va.,  and  Mcllwaine,  with  whom  I  was  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  and  who  was  converted  during  a  revival  there. 
He  was  Corresponding  Secretary  of  their  Foreign 
Mission  Board,  and  is  now  president  of  Hampden- 
Sidney.  Murray  is  pastor  of  the  College  Church,  and  is 
a  singularly  genial  and  catholic-spirited  fellow — at  least 
that  is  the  impression  he  has  always  made  on  me.  Mc- 
Hwaine  invited  me  to  Hampden-Sidney.  .  .  .  Matty, 
my  niece,  met  me  at  the  train.  .  .  .  The  table  fare 
is  delicious,  and  my  appetite  fine  with  equivalent  digestion. 
.  .  .  Yesterday  Brethren  Strouse  and  Hobday  called, 
and  in  the  p.  m.  the  latter  sent  his  carriage,  and  I  went  to 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       301 

the  Orphanage  and  spoke  three  or  four  minutes  on 
"Hands"  to  the  children  who  seem  of  a  higher  order 
than  are  generally  found  in  such  institutions.  ...  I 
expect  to  visit  the  College  [Roanoke  College]  to-day  or 
to-morrow.  ...  At  this  point  a  long  visit  from 
Professor  Cocke  of  Hollins.  ...  I  was  glad  to  meet 
him,  as  he  is  an  old  friend.  He  gave  me  a  cordial  invita- 
tion to  visit  Hollins,  offering  to  send  a  carriage  for  me. 
.  .  .  Much  have  I  thought  of  the  pleasant  weeks  under 
your  roof." 

A  few  days  later  he  writes  to  his  brother  James,  from 
Appomattox,  describing  his  visit  to  the  Hebron  Church 
neighborhood : 

'^  .  .  .  I  found  Brother  Davidson  waiting  with  an 
open  carriage.  .  .  .  The  eight  miles  drive  to  Brother 
Davidson's  through  the  lovely  forests  was  really  refresh- 
ing after  the  heat  of  the  train.  Saturday  I  spoke  in  the 
A.  M.,  and  preached  a  short  sermon  in  the  p.  m.,  and  yes- 
terday I  first  addressed  the  Sunday  school  on  ^Boys  and 
Girls  in  Italy/  and  then  spoke  for  an  hour  on  ^Italy  and 
the  Italian  Mission'  to  a  crowded,  attentive  congregation. 
.  .  .  Yesterday  we  came  to  Brother  Taylor's,  one  of 
the  Hebron  members.  ...  I  hope.  Brother  James, 
you  will  pray  for  me  that  my  every  spiritual  need  may 
be  supplied,  and  that  I  may  have  all  needed  endov^ment 
for  the  work  to  which  God  has  called  me." 

From  Richmond  and  the  home  of  Dr.  A.  E.  Dickinson, 
where  he  had  quite  a  severe  illness,  he  wrote  l^ovember 
24th,  1895,  to  his  daughter  Susy: 

"...     I  am  feeling  very  weak  and  poorly  after 


302  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

my  attack,  which  dates  from  Tuesday  last."  On  the  same 
day  he  wrote  to  one  of  his  sons:  "  .  .  .  When 
Brethren  Winston,  A.  B.  Clarke,  J.  C.  Williams  and  John 
Pollard  were  annoimced  (from  the  Board)  I  went  down, 
and  after  the  first  moment  of  embarrassment  enjoyed 
their  somewhat  prolonged  call.  Then  came  Drs.  Willing- 
ham  and  Landrum,  both  very  jolly.  In  the  evening  I  had 
a  deal  of  conversation  with  Professor  Hovey.  ...  I 
was  sorry  that  I  missed  President  Boatwright  and  William 
Thomas,  who  came  when  I  was  in  my  feverish  sleep.  I 
shall  call  on  them  when  I  get  well.  I  had  a  very  bad 
night,  coughing  incessantly — a  hard  cough — a  new  ex- 
perience for  me." 

On  December  7th,  1895,  he  sailed  from  l^ew  York, 
with  his  daughter  Mary,  on  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  II  for 
Naples.  Soon,  he  was  hard  at  work  again,  writing  mis- 
sion letters,  preaching,  making  long,  long  journeys.  From 
Naples  on  May  16th,  1896,  he  wrote  to  his  brother 
Charles : 

"It  was  pleasant  indeed  to  receive  your  long,  interest- 
ing letter  of  the  26th  ultimo,  which  was  even  the  more 
welcome  as  I  am  away  from  home,  and  though  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  beautiful  scenes,  and  busy  with  books 
and  pen,  am  at  times  a  bit  lonely.  At  the  table  there  is 
pleasant  chat,  but  the  rest  of  the  time  I  read  and  write 
in  my  room,  and  in  the  afternoons  climb  the  hills,  linger 
by  the  seaside  or  sit  outside  a  cafe,  with  a  cup  of  black 
coffee,  and  the  morning's  paper,  ever  glancing  up  at  the 
busy,  gay  scene  before  me.  One  almost  doubts  here 
whether  the  full  tide  of  existence  which  Johnson  thought 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       303 

flowed  through  Fleet  Street  is  not  to  be  found  at  certain 
points  of  this  city,  while  the  sights  of  the  Neapolitan 
narrow,  steep  streets  have  perhaps  no  parallel  elsewhere. 
I  have  ever  preferred  human  life  to  art,  and  love  to  loiter 
along,  and  linger  over  whatever  arrests  the  eye  or  im- 
presses the  mind  or  heart.  For  three  nights  I  have  at- 
tended service  and  spoken  in  our  new  locale  in  a  great 
thoroughfare  just  opened.  .  .  .  From  my  window  I 
enjoy  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Bay,  the  slipper-shaped 
isle  of  Capri,  the  hundreds  of  fishing  smacks,  and  the 
passing  steamers,  while  a  minute's  walk  brings  Vesuvius 
into  range.  This  pension  life  with  its  dinner  at  night  is 
very  enjoyable,  but  one  is  apt  to  eat  too  much  and  for  a 
constancy  I  prefer  the  'plain  living'  of  home ;  as  to  'high 
thinking,'  that,  as  well  as  books,  may  be  carried  with 
one — i.  e.,  if  he  has  it  in  him  to  carry.  Here  all  depends 
on  the  personal  equation.  .  .  .  Prepare  the  Yates 
Memoir  by  all  means ;  we  have  none  too  many  good 
religious  biographies.  I  like  the  plan  of  letting  a  man 
tell  his  own  story.  Fer  contra,  I  like  as  well,  in  many 
cases,  biographies  done  in  the  style  of  the  English  Men 
of  Letters.     Life  is  short." 

In  a  letter  to  his  daughter  Mary,  from  Messina,  May 
22nd,  1896,  Dr.  Taylor  refers  to  the  Berti  family,  mem- 
bers of  which  had  been  baptized  by  Dr.  Taylor,  there  being 
no  church  in  Messina: 

"...  I  believe  this  Berti  family  makes  a  con- 
tinual propaganda  of  the  gospel.  I  was  quite  unwilling 
to  even  seem  to  press  the  baptism  of  Anita  .... 
80  I  simply  said  that  if  she  still  desired  it  and  the  mother 


304  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  Teresa  fully  approved  it,  to  come  to  me  this  morning 
at  ten.  The  three  did  come.  .  .  .  After  the  rite  we 
had  a  short  service  in  the  parlour." 

In  a  letter  written  from  Rome  he  describes  events  in 
the  trip  just  referred  to.    He  says : 

"...  I  have  seldom  taken  so  long  a  trip,  at  once 
so  pleasant,  with  so  unbroken  health  and  so  full  of  work 
and  of  encouragement  in  regard  to  our  churches.  The 
country  was  lovely,  the  weather  (generally)  fine,  and 
many  were  the  interviews  and  conversations,  interesting  at 
the  time,  and  destined,  I  trust  with  God's  blessing,  to  bear 
precious  fruit.  I  seemed  to  get  into  the  spirit  of  travel, 
the  world  seemed  beautiful ;  it  was  a  sort  of  relaxation 
from  the  desk  and  the  pen,  and  altogether,  though  glad 
to  get  back  to  sweet  home,  and  my  dear  Mary,  I  feel  that 
the  trip  did  me  good,  and  it  is  remembered  with  pleasure. 
I  came  near  having  a  sunstroke  en  route  and 
suffered  with  my  head,  but  bathed  it  in  very  hot  water 
as  by  suggestion  of  Dr.  R.  H.  Graves.  ...  I  was 
fifteen  hours  on  steamer,  second  class,  to  Messina.  It  was 
a  big  thing  bound  for  Bombay,  and  many  of  the  sailors 
and  others  were  dark  skinned,  and  dressed  in  white 
clothes,  scanty  and  thin,  so  as  to  reveal  their  lithe  figures. 
On  board  was  a  clerical  party  of  several  nationalities 
bound  for  the  scene  of  war  in  Abyssinia,  and  great  was  the 
reclaim  in  the  R.  C.  papers,  and  great  the  demonstration 
on  their  departure  from  IN'aples.  One  of  them,  a  Cap- 
uchin, tried  to  convert  me,  and  professed  to  be  horror 
struck  at  my  state,  but  I  routed  him  with  a  single  text: 
^He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life.'  " 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       305 

While  in  America  a  publisher  had  asked  him  to  prepare 
a  popular  book  on  Italy.  The  next  letter  shows  him  at 
work  on  it: 

'^  .  .  .  I  drive  the  pen  all  the  morning,  save  when 
interrupted,  but  do  not  seem  to  make  much  progress. 
I  need  many  books  to  write  mine.  .  .  .  It's 
a  great,  and  often  useless,  bother  getting  them  or  trying 
to  get  them  from  the  V.  E.  Library.  .  .  .  Yesterday 
morning  and  this  I  produced  but  three  pages  like  this, 
which  does  not  take  me  ten  minutes  to  write,  but  then  I 
wrote  them  over  two  or  three  times,  and  was  constantly 
hunting  up  names,  etc.,  to  be  sure,  and  there  were  also 
annoying  interruptions." 

The  next  letter,  written  from  the  Hotel  Barra  di  Ferro, 
Cuneo,  under  date  of  June  27th,  gives  incidents  in  another 
missionary  journey: 

"...  Thursday  night  I  preached  to  a  house  full 
of  serious,  attentive  folks.  When  I  was  about  to  close 
the  service,  Signor  C-^ —  advanced  with  an  illuminated 
parchment,  a  testimonial  to  me  from  the  church  on  the 
occasion  of  my  first  visit.  You  know  I  am  not  the  sort 
of  man  to  draw  to  me  things  of  that  sort,  and,  it  being 
my  first  received  in  Italy,  I  was  surprised  and  rather 
pleased." 

In  a  letter  to  his  daughter  Mary,  he  gives  other  ex- 
periences of  the  same  trip: 

"...  The  weather  was  cold  and  wet  (my  straw 
hat  seemed  absurdly  out  of  place  and  time,  and  most  folks 
turned  for  a  second  look,  especially  as  there  was  no  charge) 
and  I  was  under  it.     .     .     .     Sunday  morning  it  was  still 


306  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

raining,  with  clouds  like  lead.  But  I  rose  at  six,  paddled 
through  the  rain  to  a  cafe,  and  then  to  the  steam  tram 
which  bore  us  8  kilometers  to  S.  Dalmazio,  where  we  took 
carriages  and  drove  several  miles  among  the  mountains 
along  the  great  highway  leading  to  the  Thermas  of  Vinadio. 
When  the  main  road  had  to  be  left,  the  drivers  declined  to 
go  further,  so  we  footed  it  over  a  rough  mountain  way, 
through  mud  and  water  regardless,  for  some  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  to  Castellato,  our  destination.  .  .  .  The 
congregation  was  small.  .  .  .  But  the  brethren 
present  impressed  me  favorably,  and  specially  our  host 
showed  himself  a  real  gentleman  as  well  as  devout.  It 
hurt  me  that  his  tall,  straight,  handsome  wife  had  to  stay, 
or  did  stay,  in  the  kitchen  to  cook  a  dinner  for  the  caravan, 
and  the  smoke  and  smell  penetrated  into  the  room  where 
we  were.  The  meal  was  very  fair,  and,  with  truest 
courtesy,  I  was  not  urged  to  partake  of  any  dish  I  did  not 
show  a  wish  for.  .  .  .  The  mountains  have  been  for 
several  days  partly  covered  with  snow,  and  the  view  of 
Mt.  Viso  and  others,  as  I  came  hither,  was  really  splendid." 

On  the  same  trip  from  Venice,  writing  to  one  of  his 
sons  on  July  10th,  1896,  he  referred  to  his  recent  visit 
to  Appomattox,  and  to  other  matters: 

"...  The  old  Virginia  food  of  the  inn  was  so 
delicious — its  waffles  and  fried  chicken  and  milk,  and  so 
many  other  toothsome  things.  It  was  so  pleasant,  too,  to 
be  in  that  country  air.  .  .  .  Your  people's  great 
kindness  also  touched  my  heart,  for  much  as  I  have  re- 
ceived, always  and  everywhere,  that  was  something  special. 
.     .     .     I  rose  at  four  this  morning,   after  vain  efforts 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       307 

to  get  more  sleep,  but  dozed  a  bit  on  the  sofa  after  dress- 
ing. It  may  seem  strange  to  linger  where  there  is  so 
much  discomfort  on  the  trip.  This  is  explained :  that  I 
wish  not  only  to  see  the  minister,  but  to  attend  a  service 
at  each  place,  and  to  do  this  involves  delay,  unless  a  line 
of  special  appointments  could  be  made,  so  that  I  need 
not  tarry  more  than  one  night,  or  at  most  two  nights,  at 
each  place.'' 

On  another  missionary  journey  he  wrote,  November 
12th,  1896,  from  Genoa,  to  his  sister  Mary: 

''Waiting  here  half  sick  for  my  train  it  is  a  pleasure 
to  pen  you  a  poor  line.  ,  .  .  Yesterday  from  ten  in 
the  morning  to  dusk,  I  rode  through  an  enchanted  region 
— the  Western  Eiviera — from  Cannes,  in  France,  to  this 
place,  the  sea  on  one  side,  mountains,  terraced  vineyards, 
gardens  with  olives,  palms,  pines  and  cedars  and  flowers 
everywhere  on  the  other  side,  and,  above,  the  loveliest 
sky.  But  for  the  first  part  of  the  way  I  was  nauseated, 
and  later  weak  in  consequence.  .  .  .  Last  night  I 
suffered,  and  feel  little  refreshed  this  morning,  and  poorly 
fitted  for  a  long  journey.  But  I  have  learned  to  maintain 
a  certain  tranquillity  of  spirit,  which  is  restful,  or  at 
least  in  the  minimum  degree  exhaustive,  even  to  the  body. 
Tw^o  days  ago  I  was  in  fine  spirits,  and  being  in 
France,  I  concocted  a  French  postal  to  Mary  for  her 
amusement.  I  read  that  language  with  sufficient  ease  to 
read  aught  that  interests  me.  The  landlord  at  Cannes 
lent  me  a  French  book  in  which  I  became  so  much  in- 
terested that  I  am  taking  it  along,  with  his  permission,  to 
finish,  and  return  by  post.     Cannes  and  Nice  are  charm- 


308  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ing  cities  with  such  a  climate,  sucli  scenery  of  sky  and 
land,  and  the  Mediterranean,  that  I  do  not  wonder  they 
are  crowded  with  rich  folks,  many  of  them  sick,  of  every 
land;  and  the  same  might  be  said  of  San  Remo.  One 
can  understand  how  Garibaldi  could  not  forgive  Count 
Cavour  for  ceding  Nice,  his  birthplace,  to  Louis  Napoleon, 
even  in  return  for  valid  help  versus  Austria.  All  over  Nice 
and  Cannes  are  comfortable  benches  on  which  wayfarers 
may  rest,  as  I  did  in  the  former  city  while  munching  an 
apple  from  Rome.  In  San  Remo,  Sunday  morning,  I 
saw  such  numbers  of  boys  and  girls,  men  and  women, 
bearing  along  bunches,  baskets  of  flowers,  chiefly  chrysan- 
themums of  choicest  kind,  and  many  hues,  but  also  roses 
and  other  flowers,  that  I  surmised  it  was  Decoration  Day, 
and  joined  them.  Every  grave  and  monument  was 
covered — I  have  never  seen  so  many  and  so  lovely  chrys- 
anthemums before  or  elsewhere.  Many  of  the  graves  were 
stuck  all  around  with  lighted  candles,  which  flickered  and 
sputtered  in  the  wind." 

It  is  impossible  to  give  all  the  letters  describing  the 
many  trips  Dr.  Taylor  made  among  the  churches,  or  even 
to  mention  all  the  trips.  The  next  letter  describes  a 
journey  to  Sicily  and  bears  date,  Rome,  April,  1st,  1898. 
It  refers  to  the  widow  and  daughter  of  Mr.  Mudie,  the 
founder  of  the  great  circulating  library  in  London,  which 
sends  books  all  over  England : 

"...  We  finished  up  Palermo,  driving  through 
the  Favorita  grounds,  buying  candied  fruits  for  Susy  and 
a  box  of  them  for  some  friends  who  have  been  kind  to  her. 
.     .     .     The  sail  to  Naples  was  ideally  smooth  and  rapid. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       309 

but  as  the  stewards  allow  no  fresh  air,  I  did  not  go 
below;  but  after  two  hours  on  deck,  when  it  became  quite 
cold,  I  sat  bolt  upright  the  whole  night  in  the 
saloon.  .  .  .  Mary  is  at  Frascati  visiting  the 
Mudies.  .  .  .  Susy  has  been  going  to  concerts  and 
dinings  and  drives,  w^hich  I  have  urged  her  to  accept.  I 
have  been  very  hard  at  work  over  letters,  accounts  and 
several  worrying  problems  which  arose  suddenly  in  my 
absence  from  Rome.  .  .  .  The  trip  despite  sickness 
greatly  refreshed  me,  giving  strength  for  the  burdens  of 
the  work,  for  I  largely  laid  care  and  pen  aside  for  two 
weeks,  and  was  much  in  the  open  air.  To-morrow  Susy  and 
I  go  to  Frascati  for  two  days,  after  which  the  family  life 
will  be  resumed,  except,  indeed,  that  I  leave  for  another 
trip  the  last  of  the  week.  The  brethren  of  Gravina  have 
taken  themselves  a  new  and  ground  floor  locale,  and  beg 
me  to  be  with  them  at  the  three  days'  opening,  May  15th, 
16th  and  17th,  when  also  candidates,  long  waiting,  and 
long  proved,  will  be  baptized.  A  week  from  to-day  I  am 
to  be  at  Miglionico,  where  the  minister  has  long  begged, 
as  a  great  favor,  a  visit  from  me.  .  .  .  This  next 
trip  I  shall  be  alone,  but  I  have  notified  the  brethren  of 
my  deafness  and  ...  I  shall,  I  trust,  get  on,  if  not 
swimmingly  at  least  sufficiently." 

The  next  letter,  dated  Gravina  delle  Paglie,  is  ad- 
dressed to  his  daughter  Susy: 

"  .  .  .  I  suppose  that  I  am  the  guest  of  the 
church,  as  on  a  previous  occasion,  but  I  am  most  com- 
fortably lodged  and  entertained  by  the  Fiori  family,  who 
show  me  every  attention  and  kindness,  and  appear  to  the 


310  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

greatest  advantage  in  their  own  home.  ...  I  was 
not  in  the  best  trim  for  preaching  Sunday,  and  yesterday 
succumbed  and  went  to  bed,  and  this  morning  they  have 
brought  me  quinine,  honey,  etc.  On  Sunday  I  baptized  five 
persons.  The  arrangements  were  excellent,  and  showed 
that  money  and  care  had  been  used  in  making  them. 
.  ,  .  The  new  locale  is  very  nice,  and  the  meetings 
were  very  remarkable  for  the  crowd,  the  order,  and  the 
attention.  .  .  .  The  work  at  Gravina  is  most  promis- 
ing, and  a  great  change  has  come  over  the  people  since 
the  clerical  preachers  exhorted:  'Say  with  me,  O  people, 
Death  to  the  Protestants !'  " 

Another  stage  in  the  same  journey  is  described  in  a 
letter  to  one  of  his  sons.  His  courage  and  indomitable 
spirit  are  shown : 

''  .  .  .  I  arrived  [at  Miglionico]  really  ill  and 
prostrated,  and  went  right  to  bed,  and,  as  usual,  when  I 
have  fever,  slept  some  fifteen  hours  right  along.  All 
Sunday  I  lay  in  bed,  better,  but  not  up  to  anything.  The 
members,  the  plainest  and  roughest,  but  most  simple- 
hearted  people,  men  and  women,  came  to  see  me,  kissing 
my  hands  as  they  entered  and  left.  I  remained  passive, 
not  trying  to  hear  or  to  speak  save  a  'God  bless  you.* 
Despite  the  utmost  kindness  of  Piccinni  and  his  wife, 
and  many  favorable  circumstances,  I  was  not  comfortable, 
and  longed  for  home;  so,  Monday,  I  insisted  on  leaving, 
and  with  a  pillow  and  shawls,  and  the  whole  carriage  for 
Piccinni  and  me,  I  got  to  the  railroad  .  .  .  and  in 
fact  made  the  journey  of  seven  hours  and  over  by  rail  to 
ISTaples,  where  I  arrived  at  8.30  p.  m.  very  tired  and  worn 


311 

out,  but  apparently  not  otherwise  the  worse ;  but  the  night 
was  not  refreshing,  and  in  the  morning  I  hated  to  leave 
my  bed,  but  the  attraction  of  home  was  so  strong  that 
up  I  got.  The  compartment  was  crowded,  and,  despite  the 
kindness  of  two  or  three  persons  along,  who  felt  sorry  for 
me,  the  journey  was  a  martyrdom,  and  I  took  fresh  cold, 
being  obliged,  when  I  felt  sinking,  to  put  my  head  at  the 
open  window  which  had  been  given  me  by  those  kind 
persons.  But  I  got  home,  and,  after,  just  a  week  in  bed, 
watched  over,  cared  for,  and  angelically  ministered  to  by 
your  sweet  sisters.  .  .  .  T  rose  at  noon  yesterday, 
but  feeling  weak  and  depressed  to-day ;  however,  I  am  al- 
most perfectly  myself  again." 

Yet  another  trip  is  spoken  of  in  the  next  letter,  which 
is  dated  Torre  Pellice,  September  21st,  1898: 

^'  .  .  .  The  fact  is  I  had  a  bad  time  Friday  night 
and  Saturday  with  cold,  causing  pain  and  disturbance, 
and  I  lay  on  the  sofa  Saturday,  my  one  hope  and  prayer 
being  that  I  might  be  able  to  fill  my  appointment  at 
Casteletto  the  next  day,  the  which  I  did,  by  a  tour  de 
force,  and  despite  weakness." 

As  an  illustration  of  how  broad  his  sympathies  were, 
the  following  extract  from  a  letter  to  his  brother  Charles 
may  be  given.  The  work  at  home  as  well  as  that  in  Italy 
rested  on  his  heart.  The  date  of  this  letter  is  Rome,  April 
20th,  1899: 

^'There  is  a  matter  in  our  mission  which  has  been,  and 
still  is,  causing  me  constant  solicitude,  and  calling  forth 
my  best  thinking  and  planning,  and  driving  me  to  the 
throne  of  grace.      As  there   are   always  such  matters  in 


312  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

this  work,  does  it  not  seem  strange  that  I  should  bother 
myself  with  affairs  at  home !  Yet,  so  it  is,  for  the  mind 
of  man  has  a  wide  sweep  and  the  Christian  heart  must 
be  interested  in  all  that  relates  to  the  cause  of  Christ  the 
world  over,  and  I  have  pondered  no  little  over  the  state 
of  our  Southern  Zion,  it  seeming  to  me  that  a  grave  crisis 
is  at  hand,  and  that  there  is  danger,  no  matter  how  the 
Whitsitt  case  may  be  decided." 

And  the  letter  goes  on  to  discuss  the  Whitsitt  situation 
at  length. 

On  July  30th,  1899,  he  wrote  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  James 
B.  Taylor,  giving  some  description  of  Airolo,  Switzer- 
land, and  the  surrounding  country,  whither  he  had  gone, 
at  the  direction  of  the  physician,  trying  to  get  rid  of  his 
malarial  trouble: 

'^  .  .  .  We  have  here  daily  and  hourly  before  us 
an  instance  of  the  instability  of  the  most  stable,  earthly 
things  in  the  great  landslide  of  last  December,  which 
destroyed  houses  and  people,  and  changed,  perhaps  for- 
ever, the  aspect  of  the  town  and  its  environs.  Last  summer 
this  place  was  full  of  tourists;  now  there  are  very  few, 
for  fear,  it  is  said,  that  another  mountain  will  send  down 
rocks  as  big  as  houses,  crushing  everything  before  them. 
I  do  not,  however,  apprehend  any  special  danger.  There 
are  so  many  other  ways  by  which,  without  any  great 
catastrophe,  people  make  their  last  journey.  This  morn- 
ing, when  half  dressed,  I  went  to  close  my  window,  for  we 
sleep  with  open  windows.  The  first  object  seen  was  a 
funeral  procession,  the  coffin  borne  on  the  shoulders  of 
four  men,  who,  as  all  the  others,  walked  reverently  with 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       313 

imcoverod  heads  to  the  cemetery,  a  crowd  of  women,  in 
black,  following.  This  place,  though  a  hundred  miles  from 
the  Italian  frontier,  is  largely  Italian  in  population,  and 
ahnost  all  signs  and  notices  are  in  the  Italian  tongue. 
The  mountains  around  are  covered  with  grass, 
and  dark  firs  wuth  patches  of  snow  on  the  heights.  Be- 
neath, is  the  Ticino  River,  running,  like  mad,  to  Lake 
Maggiore.  A  few  steps  away  is  the  mouth  of  the  great 
St.  Gotthard  tunnel.  We  are  more  than  3,700  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  ...  I  spend  much  time  in  the 
garden,  pacing  the  gravel  paths  or  reading  and  writing 
in  the  shade  of  the  firs  and  beeches,  sub  tegmine  fagi,  as 
Virgil  would  say,  but  not  recuhans.  ...  I  was  very 
unwell  just  before  leaving  Rome  and  suffered  no  little  in 
the  seventeen  and  one-half  hours'  railroad  journey  to 
Milan,  and  needed  two  days  there  to  repair  damages. 
We  then  spent  nine  days  at  Lugano,  over  the  lovely  lake 
of  that  name.  Every  prospect  pleased,  and  the  people 
met  were  not  a  bit  vile;  on  the  contrary,  very  good  and 
pleasant,  and  we  had  all  our  meals  in  the  open  air;  but 
it  was  about  as  hot  as  Rome.  We  had  two  sails  on  the 
lake,  saw  Luini's  famous  frescoes,  admired  the  tall  stone 
tower,  and  the  girls  went  by  steamer  and  diligence  over 
Lake  Como  and  to  the  city  of  Como,  the  home  of  Volta, 
who  invented  the  Voltaic  Pile,  and,  where,  in  his  honor, 
an  electrical  exposition  was  held  this  summer  till  destroyed 
by  fire,  and  they  are  now  trying  to  rebuild  and  renew  it. 
Early  last  Monday  morning  we  left,  third-class,  on  a  slow 
train  for  this  place.  We  seemed  coming  thus  at  leisure  to 
find  more  beauty  in  the  route  than  we  had  ever  seen  in  any 


314  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

previous  journey  over  it  in  a  rushing  express  train,  and 
specially  admired  the  waterfalls,  and  the  loops  of  the 
road,  which  winds  up  the  mountains  like  a  corkscrew. 
Of  course  my  mission  correspondence  is  not  abated,  at  least 
a  score  of  letters  having  come  in  these  last  days,  and  yes- 
terday I  arranged  to  send  off  some  12,000  francs  to 
seventeen  evangelists.  There  arrive,  besides,  letters  from 
all  kinds  and  conditions  of  men,  wanting  this,  that  and  the 
other  of  me,  and  I  have  written  an  article  for  the 
Foreign  Mission  Journal,  and  am  asked  for  one  for 
the  Seminary  Magazine.  There  is  also  reading  matter 
accessible.  .  .  .  There  is  also  much  to  see,  tourists 
on  foot  arriving  and  passing,  and  the  mountains  are  an 
endless  study." 

Perha])s  frequent  enough  quotations  have  not  been  made 
in  these  pages  from  Dr.  Taylor's  annual  reports  to  the 
Board,  and  to  the  Convention.  These  reports  he  made 
with  great  care,  and  it  was  often  a  source  of  regret  to  him 
that  the  minutes  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention, 
containing  full  accounts  of  the  work  on  the  several  fields  of 
the  Convention,  were  not  more  read  by  the  brotherhood. 
The  following  extracts  are  from  his  report  to  the  Con- 
vention of  1900,  which  met  at  Hot  Springs: 

"The  responsibilities  of  the  mission,  and  also  its  oppor- 
tunities, were  enlarged  by  taking  over  the  work  in  the 
south,  of  the  English  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  which 
wished  to  concentrate  its  energies  in  the  north  of  Italy. 
This  work  consisted  of  a  church  of  baptized  believers  in 
Naples,  and  another  at  Calitri,  a  mountain  town  in  the 
Province  of  Avellino,  with  their  respective  places  of  meet- 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       315 

ing.  We  also  accepted  the  small  body  of  communicants 
and  locale  in  Naples,  Count  Papengouth  leaving  the 
city.  To  carry  on  the  work  of  these  three  churches,  two 
additional  evangelists  were  accepted,  each  of  whom  is  an 
acquisition  to  our  evangelizing  force. 

''The  locale  at  Caserta,  near  Naples,  with  a  small  con- 
gregation, but  no  communicants,  was  also  taken  over  by  us 
from  our  English  brethren. 

''Besides,  by  the  foregoing,  our  mission  was  enlarged  by 
three  new  and  inviting  fields,  into  which  we  were  provi- 
dentially led.     .     . 

"The  entire  new  work  assumed  in  1899,  with  some 
needed  increase  of  salaries  and  other  combinations,  costs 
$1,680  per  annum,  which  is  about  ten  per  cent  advance 
on  the  amount  asked  for  and  conceded  for  1899. 

"I  dare  not  refuse  what  God  in  His  Providence  laid 
upon  us,  and  I  dare  not  cast  off  on  account  of  expense. 
He  will  provide  for  it  through  you,  my  brethren,  who,  led 
of  Him,  originated  this  mission  and  sent  me  out  as  your 
representative.  No  doubt  this  work  will  yet  go  forward 
and  extend  itself;  it  must,  or  else  contract  and  recede. 
Do  you  ask  for  greater  results?  The  results  achieved  are 
perhaps  more  important  than  might  at  first  seem. 

"The  gathering  into  one  mission  of  the  three  congre- 
gations in  Naples,  educated  under  different  influences, 
was  not  without  friction.  .  .  .  There  were  other 
questions,  and  I  seemed  at  one  time,  in  following  the 
clear  line  of  duty,  to  please  none  of  the  parties  concerned, 
each  thinking  I  leaned  to  one  of  the  others,  which  was,  of 
course,  grievous  to  me.     .     .     . 


316  LIFE    AXD    LETTERS    OF 

''The  Italian  Mission  having  now  existed  for  about 
thirty  years,  and  my  own  relation  with  it  having  lasted 
for  nearly  twenty-seven  years,  it  seems  proper  to  take  a 
rapid  glance  at  what  has  been  done. 

''Xot  only  do  our  statistics  show  twenty-four  churches, 
a  membership  of  624  baptized  believers,  but  at  least  as 
many  more  baptized  believers  have  died  in  the  faith,  or 
emigrated,  bearing  their  evangelical  and  denominational 
convictions  to  other  lands.  I^orth  Africa,  Austria, 
Switzerland,  France,  and  both  Americas  have  all  received 
evangelical  and  Baptistic  influences  from  our  mission,  as 
it  owes  something  to  France,  and  almost  everything  to  our 
country. 

"Despite  deeply  rooted  prejudices,  it  is  undeniable  that 
Baptist  principles  have  to  no  small  extent  leavened  Pedo- 
baptist  communities  and  congregations.  .  .  .  Neither 
the  Evangelical  Church  of  Italy,  nor  the  Episcopal  Metho- 
dists, nor  the  Waldensian  Church  would  refuse  immer- 
sion to  a  candidate,  while  the  first-named  has  retained 
ministers  essentially  Baptists,  who  do  not  and  would  not 
sprinkle  an  infant,  and  the  Waldensian  Synod  has  intro- 
duced into  its  new  formulary  immersion  for  such  as  be- 
lieve it  is  their  privilege  and  duty  to  be  buried  with 
Christ,  and  so  exactly  fulfil  His  last  command.  But  it 
has  to  be  admitted  that  this  general — almost  universal — 
recognition  of  the  Scripturalness  of  immersion  has  not 
borne  its  practical  fruit,  refuge  being  taken  in  the  idea 
that  immersion  is  not  the  only  baptism,  or,  at  least,  that 
other  acts  are  allowable.  A  great  difficulty  for  us  is  that 
in  Italy  every  convert  not  from  an  evangelical  family  has 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       317 

been  sprinkled  in  his  infancy  by  a  Roman  Catholic  priest, 
and  that  all  the  Pedobaptist  denominations  are  agreed  in 
accepting  it  as  valid.     .     .     . 

*^When  I  came  to  Italy  in  1873,  I  found,  both  among 
the  Italians,  and  in  the  resident  foreign  community  here, 
a  most  bitter  and  obstinate  prejudice  against  our  restricted 
communion.  It  was  necessary  for  several  years  to  defend 
it  in  our  own  and  in  other  periodicals,  explaining  our 
practice,  replying  to  objections,  and  not  only  appealing 
to  the  ad  hominem  argument,  but  sustaining  our  position 
on  its  own  merits.  The  fight  was  so  well  fought  that 
since  that  time  we  have  met  with  no  reproach  for  our 
'close'  communion ;  indeed,  many  of  the  more  intelligent 
of  our  Pedobaptist  brethren  regard  it  as,  at  least,  the 
necessary  corollary  of  the  doctrine  of  believers'  baptism. 

"On  the  whole,  though  much  still  remains  to  be  done, 
it  must  yet  be  admitted  that,  considering  the  mighty 
Pedobaptist  influence  which  comes  here  from  England 
and  America,  the  work  of  Romanism  in  destroying  the 
religious  sentiment,  while  weaving  a  vast  network  of  ob- 
servances to  nourish  superstition,  and  turn  men  away  from 
the  Word  of  God  and  true  religion,  and  finally  the 
tremendous  and  manifold  power  of  the  hierarchy  to  op- 
pose and  suffocate  any  evangelical  movement,  the  Italian 
Mission  has  not  been  in  vain.  My  own  relation  to  it 
must  soon — very  soon — come  to  a  close,  but,  despite 
personal  infirmities,  and  conscious  shortcomings,  when  I 
look  upon  the  past  and  forward  into  the  future,  I  thank 
God,  and  take  courage." 

During   the    summer   of    1900,    Dr.    Taylor,    with   his 


318  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

daughters,  spent  some  weeks  in  Hungary,  visiting  also 
Vienna.  The  following  letter,  dated  20  Rathhausstrasse, 
Vienna,  September  9th,  describes  some  things  seen  and 
done  on  this  trip: 

''  .  .  .  Mary  and  Susy  are  at  the  English  Church 
and  I  have  been  sitting  in  a  public  garden  near  by,  read- 
ing and  observing.  .  .  .  My  favorite  plan  is  to  sit 
and  let  the  world  unfold  itself,  panorama-fashion,  before 
my  eyes — old  women  with  their  baskets  resting,  some 
folks  knitting,  some  embroidering,  some  reading,  some 
smoking,  some  courting,  while  the  pigeons  and  the  birds, 
big  and  little,  chirp,  and  hop  about  fearlessly  on  the 
ground  or  in  the  leafy  shades.  I  am  enchanted  with 
Vienna  for  many  other  things,  but  specially  for  its  lovely 
parks  and  gardens,  and  for  the  comfortable  seats  every- 
where. In  Rome  my  only  resort  when  tired,  which  I 
seem  always  to  be,  is  a  Roman  Catholic  Church,  but.  Oh, 
I  do  so  much  prefer  the  out-of-doors !  Last  evening  Susy 
and  I  went  to  a  big  cafe  near  by,  not  for  ices  or  coffee, 
these  being  only  the  conditions  of  reading  the  newspapers. 
I  doubt  whether  there  is  any  other  city  more  cosmopoli- 
tan than  Vienna  in  this,  that  at  the  chief  cafes  one  may 
read  the  newspapers  of  almost  every  language  and  land 
in  the  world.  The  waiters  piled  before  us  the  latest 
American,  French  and  Italian  journals  we  asked  for  and 
many  more  of  sundry  tongues ;  the  arcade  under  which 
we  sat  was  crowded,  and  every  one  else  had  a  supply. 
What  a  treat  it  was  to  a  paperless  fellow,  half  starved  for 
news,  these  many  days,  save  at  Tatra  Fined,  where  the 
Figaro,  of  which  I  am  very  fond,  made,  with  my  delicious 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       319 

creamed  coffee  and  Vienna  bread  and  butter,  an  exquisite 
meal.  Wherever  we  have  been,  Mary  has  read  the  Ger- 
man sheets,  and  has  given  me  nice  morsels,  but  often  has 
found  nothing  worth  reporting.  .  .  .  We  had  meant 
to  leave  ere  this,  but  Mary  was  sick  and  would  miss 
certain  thing's,  so  our  departure  has  been  prorogued  for 
two  or  three  days.  Indeed  a  fortnight  is  little  for  a  city 
so  rich  in  all  that  could  please  and  instruct.  We  have 
gotten  pretty  leisurely  through  the  chief  galleries,  even 
returning  to  some  of  them.  There  are  some  fine  paintings 
of  the  great  Italians,  but  specially  has  the  opportunity 
been  prized  of  studying  the  works  of  Rubens  and  his 
opposite  Van  Dyck,  of  Rembrandt,  Diirer,  and  other 
northern  masters,  some  of  whom  with  unfamiliar  names 
hold  me  and  draw  me  back  to  their  creations,  often  at 
once  homely  and  beautiful.  In  fact  I  am  still  seeing 
with  the  mind's  eye  fine  faces  with  the  accessories  of  by- 
gone centuries,  interiors,  flower  pieces  and  still  life, 
foaming  rivers,  and  dark  tarns,  corniced  in  steep  rock 
cliffs.  .  .  .  One  day  we  made  an  excursion  to  a  lovely 
suburb  on  the  wooded  hills  with  a  German,  a  masseur, 
who  has  been  to  America  and  Australia,  a  very  intelli- 
gent fellow.  One  day  I  had  bought  a  cantaloupe,  a  fruit 
of  which  I  am  excessively  fond,  and  have  not  tasted  be- 
fore for  years,  and  served  it  at  the  breakfast  table  to  other 
guests.  Quoth  this  gentleman,  Dr.  Herman  Roth,  ^Here 
they  cost  a  florin  each,  in  America  half  a  franc,  in 
Australia  two  cents.'  ...  At  Zakopane  the  people 
reminded  me  of  Virginians,  shaking  hands  so  much,  but 
mostly  with  each  other,  for  ready  as  the  gentlemen  were 


320  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

to  admit  us,  some  of  the  ladies  were  for  a  time  rather 
clannish.  But  Marj  and  Susy  won  their  way  and  gained 
hearty  encomiums.  It  seems  we  were  the  first  Americans, 
if  not  English  also,  ever  seen  in  those  parts  or  by  those 
people,  the  elite  of  Cracow  and  Warsaw,  and  one  couple 
wrote  on  a  card  the  delightful  impression  received.  I,  on 
account  of  my  deafness,  kept  much  in  the  background,  but 
I  liked  best  a  lovely  young  lady  from  Warsaw  in  Polish 
Russia,  and  one  day,  when  she  was  saluting  others,  I  being 
80  out  of  the  way  that  I  might  have  been  left  without 
rudeness,  she  came  where  I  was  and  gave  me  a  warm 
grasp,  a  sweet  smile,  and  a  graceful  curtsy.  What  a 
heartglow  it  gave  me  and  does  when  I  think  of  it !  Ah, 
how  little  does  a  young  person  realize  the  pleasure  and 
comfort  an  old  man  or  woman  may  get  from  even  a  slight 
attention,  a  word,  a  smile,  a  simple  act  from  those  still 
in  the  heyday  of  life!  .  .  .  We  go  home  not  by  the 
Semmering  and  Venice,  but  as  we  came,  by  Budapest, 
Fiume  and  Ancona.  True,  there  are  about  550  miles  of 
railroad  to  Fiume,  but  in  Hungary  they  have  what  is 
called  a  ^zone  tariff'  (and  Vienna  is  near  the  border),  that 
is  the  fare  is  counted  not  by  miles  but  by  tens  of  miles. 
Thus  the  above  550  miles,  and  the  day  on  the  Adriatic, 
second  class  for  the  former  and  first  class  for  the  latter, 
cost  only  about  $6.50  or  $7.  I  have  never  travelled  half 
so  cheaply  before,  and  it  was  one  of  the  two  factors  bring- 
ing us  to  these  lands." 

Upon  a  resolution  of  Dr.  G.  A.  Lofton,  the  Convention 
at  Hot  Springs,  in  1900,  appointed  a  committee  to  report 
the  following  year    on  the  feasibility  of    establishing    a 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOAEDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       321 

theological  school  in  Rome.  The  next  year  the  committee 
reported  in  favor  of  establishing  such  a  school,  having 
consulted  with  Dr.  Taylor,  who  approved  the  plan. 

The  following  letter  refers  to  Rev.  C.  J.  F.  Anderson 
and  Rev.  D.  G.  Whittinghill,  who  had  arrived  under  the 
appointm'ent  of  the  Board  to  work  in  Italy.  It  is  dated 
Rome,  April  21st,  1901: 

*^I  am  hoping  to  go  to  church  this  morning,  the  first 
time  this  year,  and  I  am  very  thankful.  .  .  .  Yes- 
terday p.  M.  I  walked  alone  some  three  or  four  hundred 
yards,  and  after  resting  walked  back.  I  have  not  before 
done  half  so  much,  nor  have  I  been  out  before  alone  since 
my  illness,  which  has  been  perhaps  far  more  serious  than 
my  kin  at  home  have  imagined.  .  .  .  We  have  now 
in  our  home  Dr.  Whittinghill,  the  new  missionary.  I  like 
him  and  trust  he  will  do  an  excellent  work.  He  has  come 
out  specially  with  reference  to  the  Baptist  Theological 
School  which  we  hope  in  a  year  or  so  to  establish  in  Rome. 
The  thing  will  not  be  absolutely  decided  until  the  meet- 
ing of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  in  ]N'ew  Orleans 
next  May,  but  is  already  morally  certain.  Yesterday  we 
had  to  dine  with  him  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson,  and  Signor 
Paschetto.     We  seemed  quite  a  Baptist  family.     .     .     . 

We  expect  every  day  to  have  some  one  to  meet  Dr.  W . 

To-day  Mr.  Piggott  dines  with  us.  .  .  .  I  have  been 
reading  in  the  evenings  'Tourgueneff  and  his  French 
Circle.'  It  is  really  his  letters  to  Flaubert,  George  Sand, 
Zola,  Daudet  and  other  French  literary  celebrities.  They 
reveal  him  as  having  a  childlike  nature  in  his  giant  body. 


322  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

I  have  been  very  much  amused  in  reading  of 
late  'The    American  Senator'  by  Anthony  Trollope." 

On  June  14th,  1901,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  from  Rome  to 
his  brother  Charles,  President  of  Wake  Forest  College, 
North  Carolina : 

"On  the  11th  instant  the  collection  of  shells  was  shipped 
from  Cagliari  prepaid  to  Naples,  where  Holme  &  Com- 
pany bankers,  well  known  to  me,  will  ship  it  to  Wake 
Forest  via  Norfolk.  There  are  4,500  shells,  representing 
720  species  and  varieties,  all  from  Sardinia.  A  complete 
catalogue  goes  along.  Signor  Arbanasich  could  have 
doubled  the  collection  by  including  shells  from  the  main- 
land, but  he  wished  it  to  preserve  its  distinctive  geographic 
character.  I  suppose,  however,  that  he  would  make 
another  collection,  not  limited  to  his  island,  and  still 
another  of  minerals,  and  I  would  be  willing  to  contribute 
the  one  and  the  other  to  your  college  museum,  if,  after 
seeing  the  shells  now  sent,  you  and  Professor  Poteat 
should  think  it  worth  while.  As  before  offered,  I  will 
pay  charges  on  them  to  Wake  Forest.  Of  course  they 
need  pay  no  duty.  .  .  .  Next  week  we  have  in  Rome 
an  Evangelical  Congress,  and  the  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  our  Baptist  Union,  and  we  shall  have  guests  to 
stay  and  to  partake  with  us.  .  .  .  Last  week  Dr. 
MacDonald,  Continental  Secretary  of  the  Wesleyan  Mis- 
sionary Conference,  was  twice  with,  us,  and  one  night  we 
had  a  delicious  dinner  with  him  at  his  inn.  I  note  it 
because  so  often,  generally,  I  don't  enjoy  table  d'hote 
dinners" 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       323 

On  June  16th,  1901,  he  wrote  to  his  grandson,  George 
Cabell  Taylor: 

"It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  receive  to-day  your  letter  of 
the  5th  instant,  telling  that  you  had  received  a  medal 
for  improvement  in  writing.  You  certainly  have  im- 
proved wonderfully.  ...  I  trust,  my  dear  boy,  you 
will  one  day  be  a  ivriter  in  another  and  higher  sense.  I 
am  very  proud  of  your  medal  and  of  you,  and  I  thank 
God  for  all  your  gifts  and  advantages.  I  have  some  more 
books  for  you,  but  will  wait  till  you  can  read  well.  It  is 
a  good  thing  that  the  school  is  over  now,  and  that  you 
can  spend  many  hours  out  of  doors,  walking,  riding, 
working.  But  you  ought  to  study  a  little  every  day.  I 
want  you  to  learn  by  heart  some  of  the  best  hymns — your 
father  will  select  them  for  you — and  some  of  the  great 
chapters  and  passages  in  the  Bible,  e.  g.,  learn  the  first 
Psalm,  the  nineteenth  and  the  twenty-third;  also  the 
twenty-fifth  chapter  of  Matthew,  and  the  nineteenth 
chapter  of  John.     ..." 

To  one  of  his  sons,  on  July  13th,  1901,  he  wrote: 

"...  We  are  hoping  to  open  our  Theological 
School  in  Rome  on  the  first  of  next  November,  but  there 
are  many  difficulties  in  the  way.  ...  I  have  worked 
and  worried  a  deal  on  the  subject,  but  have  concluded  to 
let  things  take  their  course.  .  .  .  These  and  several 
other  matters  come  at  a  rather  inopportune  time  for  me 
and  I  suppose  that,  though  changing  air  and  scene,  I 
shall  not  get  rid  of  the  cares  of  the  mission  at  Yallombrosa 
or  elsewhere,  this  summer.  But  the  Lord  can  give  peace 
even  in  the  midst  of  worries  if  we  wait  on  Him.     Early 


324  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Thursday  morning  Signor  Fiori  came  to  beg  me  to  go  to 
his  house  and  comfort  his  wife,  as  their  dear,  beautiful, 
first-born  boy  was  very  ill.  I  spent  the  morning  there, 
trying  to  comfort  both  of  the  parents.  It  was  sweet  to  do 
such  pastoral  work,  but  sad  to  see  the  poor  little  creature 
suffer." 

This  summer  was  spent  at  Vallombrosa.  Much  of  the 
life  there,  the  picturesque  country,  and  the  farm  scenes, 
greatly  delighted  Dr.  Taylor,  who,  though  far  from  well, 
kept  up  his  correspondence,  private  and  official.  One  letter 
tells  of  some  of  the  fellow-boarders  in  the  pension: 

''The  latest  arrivals,  common  but  inoffensive,  asked 
leave  to  bring  'a  little  dog.'  The  landlady  objected,  as 
there  were  too  many  here  already.  But  they  came  with 
a  most  savage  canine,  a  cross  between  a  mastiff  and  a 
bull  dog.  Landlady  said,  'You  must  keep  him  in  your 
room.'  'Assassin,'  for  that  is  his  name,  jumped  out  of 
the  upstairs  window  upon  the  stones  and  lamed  himself 
pretty  badly.  It  seems  that  he  belonged  to  a  Neapolitan 
butcher,  and  when  the  carabineers  came  to  arrest  the 
master,  the  dog  flew  at  the  throat  of  the  carabineers,  and 
could  not  be  detached,  though  twice  shot  at.  The  present 
owner  agreed  to  remove  him  from  the  city.  This  last 
calls  himself  an  engineer,  but  rather  betrayed  himself  at 
the  supper  table  last  night  when  he  said,  with  an  important 
air,  that  sanitary  rules  in  Rome  were  now  more  stringent 
and  that  he  had  himself,  just  before  coming  up  here, 
put  into  place  500  English  bath-rooms." 

The  next  letter  is  dated  Rome,  October  27th,  and  is  to 
one  of  his  sons.     Allusion  is  made  to  the  marriage  of 


REV.  GEORGE  BOABDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       325 

Spotswood,  which  event  took  place  at  Yokohama,  Japan, 
at  which  point  the  groom,  a  surgeon  in  the  U.  S.  I^avy, 
was  stationed.  The  hride  was  Miss  Louise  Draper,  of 
Holyoke,  Mass.  Mr.  Wall,  who  is  mentioned,  was  for 
many  years  at  the  head  of  the  English  Baptist  Mission  in 
Rome: 

''  .  .  .  I  am  feeling  quite  stupid  just  now  and 
would  not  take  pen  in  hand,  but  for  my  wish  to  send  a  word 
of  love  to  you.  Not  only  work,  but  worry,  has  beset  me, 
and  it  has  been  a  fight,  at  times  almost  a  losing  fight,  to 
keep  sweet  and  serene  through  it  all.  God  only  knows 
how  much  the  poor  mortal  body  has  to  do  with  victories 
over  one,  thank  God,  only  for  the  time,  but  no  doubt  a 
weak  heart  and  a  tired  brain  sometimes  seem  to  yield  up 
to  the  foe  ^the  city  of  man  soul,'  when  in  reality  he  has 
forced  only  the  outer  gate.  Charles  Dickens  used  to  say 
that  for  every  hour  a  man  works  with  his  brain,  indoors, 
he  should  spend  another  walking  in  the  open  air,  and  he 
was  wont  to  practice  what  he  preached  in  the  matter. 
Last  night  I  noted  in  some  Richmond  papers 
references  to  a  carnival  and  horse  fair  in  that  city. 
Everything  about  the  horses  interested,  the  rest  seemed 
a  great  ado  about  nothing.  .  .  .  Mary  has  doubtless 
written  of  Mr.  WalFs  illness,  his  paralysis,  probably 
imminent  departure  and  the  perfect  peace  with  which  he 
is  ready  to  loose  anchor    and  enter  the  ocean  of  eternity." 

On  December  17th,  1901,  he  wrote  to  his  older  son, 
telling  of  the  visit  of  Mrs.  MacGrath,  who  was  on  her 
way  from  Yokohama  to  the  United  States: 

"     .     .     .     It  was  nice  to  have  some  one  just  from 


326  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

Spotswood  and  Louise,  .  .  .  who  sent  by  Anna  a 
Japanese  picture  to  me,  and  a  perfectly  splendid  silk 
dressing  gown  to  Mary." 

On  December  29th,  1901,  he  wrote  again  to  his  son  in 
America : 

"...  To  give  a  Christmas  feeling,  I  bought  the 
Century  and  Harper  for  December.  .  .  .  Miss  Mary 
Piggott  sent  me  roses  with  the  sweetest  of  notes.  .  .  . 
What  I  gave  was  nothing  to  nobody,  or  about  that,  being 
just  able  to  pay  out  to  the  end  of  the  year,  which  is  some- 
thing to  be  thankful  for.  Among  the  debts  (I  am  glad 
to  say  liquidated  this  morning)  were  18  lire,  the  balance  of 
my  subscription  to  the  Trieste  Mission,  and  12  lire  to  the 
Christmas  tree  of  our  Sunday  school.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Anderson  has  copied  my  financial  report.  He  is  quick 
with  the  pen.  Somehow,  I  trust  after  1902  to  be  relieved 
of  the  administrative  work,  though  I  love  it.  I  believe 
I  would  be  useful  in  teaching,  preaching  and  preparing 
needed  books  and  tracts,  were  my  life  spared.  Or,  I 
would  be  willing  to  go  home,  if  it  seemed  best  to  the 
Board.  Have  you  no  idea  of  another  visit  to  Rome, 
longer  than  the  other  and  this  time  with  Susy  and  Cabell  ? 
I  would  pay  two-thirds  of  the  cost.  .  .  .  T'other  day 
I  had  been  groaning  on  my  bed  in  pain,  wjaen  Agnese, 
who  had  been  full  of  sympathy,  came  in  and  found  me 
in  a  broad,  loud  grin.  I  could  not  explain  to  her  that  it 
was  that  delightful  book  Mr.  Dooley  which  had  made  me 
forget  for  a  while  my  pain." 

The  next  letter  refers  to  the  formal  transfer,  already 
alluded  to,  of  certain  churches  from  the  English  to  the 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       327 

Southern  Board  and  also  vice  versa,  the  Italian  word 
permuta  meaning  transfer: 

"  .  .  .  Thursday  morning  I  was  dressed  by  6.30 
o'clock  and  at  7  Messrs.  Shaw  and  Landels  walked  in. 
That  afternoon  the  latter  and  I  were  at  the  notary's  for  the 
best  part  of  two  hours  and  completed  the  permuta  so  long 
on  the  tapis.  The  Notary  Colizzi,  whom,  you  may  re- 
member, was  very  courteous  and  nice,  but  the  bill  will  be 
big.  On  account  of  my  deafness  I  was  required  to  read 
the  instrument  aloud  and  then  the  notary  did  the  same. 
.  .  .  I  gave  Mr.  Landels  dinner  at  noon,  and  then 
drove  him  up  to  the  station.  He  is  in  l^aples  for  several 
days  for  consuromating  the  sale  of  the  rest  of  the  real 
estate  of  the  E.  B.  M.  Society.  ...  I  have  finished 
Vol.  I  of  Huxley,  500  pages  octavo,  and  it  sent  me  to  his 
Tife  of  Hume'  in  the  English  Men  of  Letters." 

In  a  letter  to  his  older  son  he  alludes  to  a  visit  of 
his  nephew,  the  Rev.  James  Taylor  Dickinson,  D.  D. 
(then  pastor  of  the  North  Orange,  N.  J.,  church),  and 
wife,  and  speaks  of  his  grandson,  Cabell : 

"...  Jemmy  and  Stella  walked  in  on  us  one 
morning,  having  arrived  at  midnight,  quartered  at  the 
Minerva  and  left  the  lecture  given  to  the  party  on  the 
Forum.  We  drove  in  their  double  carriage  on  the  Appian 
Way.  .  .  .  Friday  night  Mary  gave  them  and  the 
Yokohama  ladies  a  chic  dinner.     ...     I  crept  out  of 

bed  to  see  J and  S off  at  the  station.     He  was 

very  affectionate,  and  next  to  one  of  my  own  sons  and 
daughters  it  was  a  true  joy  to  see  him,  though  conver- 
sation was  impossible.     I  seemed  also  to  get  nearer  than 


328  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

ever  before  to  Stella,  and  shall  henceforth  love  her  v^ell. 
.  .  .  No  child — no  really  boyish  boy — ever  loved  his 
book.  I  was  a  lazy  rascal  till  my  ambition  and  love  of 
learning  waked  up.  Then  things  rushed.  But  before  that, 
I  had  been  absorbing  useful  knowledge  in  every  pore,  as 
your  son  is  doing  now." 

The  next  letter,  written  to  his  daughter  Mary,  from 
Messina,  April  14th,  1902,  describes  a  mission  trip  taken 
with  Dr.  Whittinghill  to  Sicily : 

"After  writing  and  mailing  my  letter  to  you  yesterday 
morning,  we  hurried  ofp  in  search  of  our  locale, 
which  we  found  after  climbing  a  steep  hil]  and  a  lot  of 
stone  steps.  Service  had  begun  and  the  house  was  pretty 
well  packed  and  Signor  Destefano  was  about  to  preach; 
but  for  once  I  waived  delicacy  and  said  I  was  willing 
to  speak,  which  I  did,  only  tolerably  well,  for  I  felt  very 
languid  and  weak.  ...  At  night  the  crowd  was  even 
greater,  and  after  the  general  congregation  had  left  we 
had  the  Circolo  Cristo  e  Patria*  composed  of  some  forty 
or  fifty  young  men,  several  of  whom  spoke.  .  .  . 
A  big  old  lawyer,  Signor  Eomeo,  harangued  us  twice,  I 
should  think  for  an  hour.  I  felt  as  if  I  would  faint  from 
exhaustion,  as  eating  had  been  found  almost  impossible. 

.  .  On  the  one  hand  I  was  deeply  touched  and  im- 
pressed, for  the  work  has  gained  in  every  way  since  we 
were  at  Reggio ;  but  on  the  other  hand  I  was  badly  bored 
and  wearied  and  could  only  pray  for  patience  and  strength. 
It  was  well  after  eleven,  when,  after  innumerable  hand- 


•Club  called  "Christ  and  Native  Land." 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       329 

shakings,  repeated  several  times  to  each  individual, 
our  room  was  reached;  but  three  friends  came  up  and 
in,  for  some  time  longer,  and  it  was  not  easy  to  get  a  bit 
of  bread  and  cold  meat,  and  get  to  bed  before  half  an 
hour  or  more  after  midnight.  Oh,  it  was  a  trying  day, 
though  with  much  of  encouragement  and  consolation! 
We  rose  at  6  this  morning,  in  my  case  after  a  worrying 
night,  and  drove  to  the  ferry  boat,  by  which  we  waited 
nearly  three  hours  for  the  belated  train.  ...  At 
every  turn,  every  hour  of  the  day  or  night.  Dr.  Whitting- 
hill  seems  to  be  doing  something  for  me,  besides  keeping 
me  in  touch  with  what  is  going  on." 

Dr.  Taylor^s  letters  to  his  loved  ones  always  gave  large 
space  to  the  details  of  the  life  of  the  one  to  whom  he 
was  writing,  not  being  merely  taken  up  with  descriptions 
of  what  he  was  doing,  saying  and  thinking.  Lack  of 
space  forbids  the  introduction  of  these  passages,  numerous, 
loving,  full  of  wise  counsel  and  tender  interest.  The  next 
letter  gives  some  account  of  the  little  circle  at  their  summer 
home.  It  is  addressed  to  his  daughter  Susy  and  dated 
Le  Mandriole  (Modena),  August  10th,  1902: 

"  .  .  .  Since  coming  here,  despite  a  number  of 
sick  or  feeble  days,  I  have  completed  and  sent  off  the 
estimate  for  1903  for  this  mission  with  many  details  and 
explanations;  have  sent  some  25,000  lire  to  about  thirty 
different  persons,  squared  up  the  mission  accounts,  written 
several  mission  and  friendly  letters,  an  article  for  II 
Testimonio  and  another,  really  two,  which  you  may 
possibly  see  in  the  Religious  Herald.  I  am  also  revising 
and  re-writing  for  the  press  my  address  on  ^Religion  in 


330  LIFE    A>'D    LETTERS    OF 

Families.'  We  have  a  pretty  good  supply  of  books  and 
every  day  the  Rome  and  Florence  papers.  I  peg  away  at 
French,  but  like  my  own  language,  for  me  much  better 
than  any  other,  even  than  Italian.  I  am  hardly  ever  in- 
doors, save  at  meals  and  at  nights,  living  always  al  fresco, 
which  ought  to  be  life-giving.  Mary  serves  tea  at  4 
o'clock  to  Dr.  Whittinghill  and  me,  and  we  have  just  re- 
ceived a  tin  box  full  of  crackers  ordered  from  Rome,  but 
I  never  touch  one,  three  meals  being  enough  for  me.  Day 
before  yesterday  we  began  to  play  hoccie  after  tea,  and 
it  is  a  great  resource  to  me  who  can't  walk  much  in  the 
moimtains." 

Susy,  Dr.  Taylor's  younger  daughter,  while  on  a  visit 
to  her  cousins,  the  family  of  J.  Appleton  Wilson,  Esq., 
at  their  summer  home  in  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains, 
during  a  severe  illness  was  attended  by  young  Dr.  Buckler 
of  Baltimore.  Dr.  Taylor  refers  to  this  trying  experience, 
writing  on  August  23rd,  1902,  from  Le  Mandriole: 

'*  .  .  .  The  thought  of  that  dear  child  ill  and 
suffering,  and  so  far  away,  would  be  unbearable  but  for 
being  able  to  commit  her  to  the  hands  of  our  almighty 
and  all  merciful  Father.  In  one  way  I  love  life  and  cling 
to  my  dear  ones  as  well  as  ever,  but  I  am  conscious  of  a 
heart  somewhat  subdued  and  chastened  through  the  in- 
creasing sense  of  old  age,  and  through  so  many  pains  and 
sicknesses,  showing  that  little  by  little  my  Father  is 
taking  down  the  tabernacle  in  which  I,  my  true  self,  have 
been  dwelling  now  nearly  seventy  years,  and  I  would  fain 
believe  that  these  experiences  have  been  somewhat  blessed 
to  my  soul.     I  am  so  grateful  to  cousins  Virginia,  Mary, 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       331 

Adelaide  and  Appleton  for  their  loving  kindness  to  my 
sweet  Susy.  May  our  Father  reward  them  for  it,  for  I 
never  can.  ...  I  remember  Drs.  John  and  Thomas 
Buckler  as  famous  all  over  Virginia,  and  the  latter,  who 
afterwards  married  Dr.  Fuller's  daughter,  helped  me  much 
in  the  early  fifties,  as  I  had  occasion  to  consult  him  more 
than  once.  I  am  sure  Susy  could  have  no  better  physician, 
and  I,  being  old,  can  afford  to  say  that  I  believe  in  young 
men.  .  .  .  Mary's  gentle  and  unwearying  kindness 
in  waiting  on  me  and  nursing  me,  almost  as  one  would  a 
helpless  infant,  in  my  late  attacks,  and  her  skill  not 
surpassed  by  any  trained  nurse,  I  can  only  leave  you  to 
imagine;  for  I  cannot  describe  it,  and  it  has  recalled  her 
and  Susy's  nursing  me  through  two  long  spells,  and  in 
sundry  of  my  minor  ailments." 

The  next  letter,  describing  a  visit  to  Trieste,  is  to  his 
daughter  Mary  and  is  dated,  Cappello  IN'ero,  Venice, 
September  29th,  1902: 

''  .  .  .  How  changed  the  great  Piazza,  and  how 
circumscribed,  a  considerable  portion  being  fenced  off; 
while,  instead  of  the  glorious  campanile,  is  a  mass  of  debris 
a  story  and  a  half  high,  and  the  corridor  of  the  Royal 
Library  is  still  open  and  unrepaired!  .  .  .  We  gon- 
dolaed  out  to  the  steamship  (a  Lloyd),  passing  several 
barks  brilliant  with  Chinese  lanterns.  It  was  now  about 
9,  and  till  11  we  sat  on  deck  in  steamer  chairs  and  I  dozed 
a  bit  despite  the  fascinating  scene.  At  11  we  went  below 
and  had  a  fairly  restful  night,  I  being  just  conscious  when 
the  boat  started.  .  .  .  We  reached  Trieste  about  6  or 
6.30   Sunday  morning,   and,   not   being  met,   as  we   had 


332  LIFE  ajS'd  letters  of 

expected,  drove  to  the  hotel  of  the  Buon  Pastore,  roomy 
but  unpretending,  and  serving  our  purpose  entirely.  Not 
knowing  either  the  locality  or  hour  of  service,  I  found 
out  after  breakfast,  by  long  search  in  the  city  directory, 
the  street  and  number  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  (Christlich 
Verein),  and  by  several  enquiries  en  route  reached  the 
place.  There  was  a  good  meeting.  .  .  .  We  returned 
to  the  inn  for  dinner,  resisting  the  kind  and  hospitable 
invitation  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Waschitz  by  promising  to  go 
there  at  night.  .  .  .  The  Bora  blew  cold  and  furious 
at  night,  and  at  last  my  heavy  surtout  was  most  welcome. 
There  were  three  guests  besides  us,  and  the  party  of  seven 
had  six  nationalities.  The  dinner  was  really  delicious, 
and,  best  of  all,  digestible  and  digested.  It  was  past  eleven 
ere  I  got  to  bed  .  .  .  and  we  were  called  at  5.30  this 
morning,  the  world  still  dark  as  Erebus,  .  .  .  and  by 
10.47  .  .  .  were  in  Venice  again,  cotfeeless  and  with 
only  a  picked-up  rusk  en  route." 

The  trip,  of  which  the  visit  to  Trieste  formed  a  part,  was 
some  forty  days  in  duration  to  a  number  of  the  churches. 
Dr.  Taylor's  travelling  companion  being  Dr.  Whitting- 
hill.  Dr.  Taylor  was  quite  sick  in  Florence.  He  reached 
home,  however,  and  before  long  was  off  for  another  trip, 
having  in  the  meantime,  as  one  letter  tells,  welcomed  to 
his  home  the  Rev.  Dr.  E.  C.  Dargan  (at  that  time  a 
professor  in  the  S.  B.  T.  Seminary  at  Louisville,  and  now 
pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  Macon,  Ga.)  with  his 
wife  and  two  sons.  The  next  letter,  dated  I^ovember 
9th,  is  from  Avellino,  in  Southern  Italy,  where  one  of  the 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       333 

stations  is  located.  Dr.  Whittinghill  is  again  his  fellow- 
traveller  : 

"...  At  noon  we  took  second-class  round-trip 
tickets  for  this  place.  En  route  it  rained  merrily  and  it 
was  so  doing  when  we  arrived  here.  The  remains  of  your 
delicious  lunch,  with  bread  and  a  couple  of  apples  and 
a  big  bunch  of  grapes  picked  up  en  route,  made  us  a  very 
sufficient  repast  on  the  train.  Fruit,  even  fresh  figs, 
seemed  abundant  as  we  came  on,  and  everywhere  were 
fruit  trees.  .  .  .  The  country,  you  remember,  is 
mountainous  and  rather  picturesque,  with  fertile  valleys 
here  and  there.  .  .  .  Between  the  views  and  our 
books  the  hours  passed  pleasantly.  .  .  .  Two  or  three 
sociable,  well  dressed  people  got  in  and  out,  but  much  of 
the  time  we  were  all  alone.  .  .  .  We  sat  and  read  till 
dusk,  then  went  to  stretch  our  legs  and  see  a  little  of  this 
mountain  town  of  22,000  inhabitants,  whose  main  street, 
well  built,  is  not  less  than  two  kilometers  in  length. 
.  .  .  We  had  a  nice  supper,  such  as  one  gets  at  a  good 
place  off  the  great  lines  of  travel.  The  waiters  were 
courteous  and  almost  affectionate,  one  of  whom  had  been 
to  'New  York  and  was  anxious  to  talk.  .  .  .  There 
being  no  fireplace,  we  sat  over  a  scaldino,  which  was  more 
satisfactory  than  such  things  usually  are.'' 

The  next  letter  gives  a  glimpse  of  the  work  Dr.  Taylor 
was  doing  in  the  theological  school.  It  is  of  date  ISTovem- 
ber  28th,  1902,  and  to  his  son  in  America: 

"...  I  am  anxious  to  visit  you  next  year,  but 
just  when,  I  can't  say,  as  I  wish  to  complete  my  course 
in  Systematic  Theology  and  in  other  respects  go  at  the 


334  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

moment  when  I  can  be  best  spared  from  the  mission. 
.  .  Last  session  I  wrote  about  170  pages  like  this, 
or  closer,  on  the  being  and  attributes  of  God,  the  Bible, 
the  Trinity,  Creation,  Providence,  human  nature,  the 
Fall,  Sin,  relation  to  Adam.  This  session  I  have  begun 
with  the  person  of  Christ,  and  hope  to  treat  the  Atone- 
ment and  the  Last  Things.  I  have  now  Hodge's  three  big 
volumes  and  the  De  Civitate  Dei  of  St.  Augustine.  Most 
of  my  reading  is  theological.  When  up,  and  the  weather 
permits,  I  try  to  take  a  walk  every  day.  Yesterday  I 
went  out  at  noon  after  a  morning  of  work,  walked  as  far 
as  usual  and  got  in  a  'bus  to  return,  as  is  my  wont.  Feel- 
ing in  my  pocket,  I  found,  to  my  dismay,  that  I  did  not 
have  the  requisite  two  soldi,  so  jumped  out  at  once,  but, 
as  it  had  turned  quite  warm,  I  reached  home  tired  out 
and  bathed  with  perspiration.  To-day,  almost  as  I  started, 
with  only  a  cane,  it  began  to  rain,  but  not  heavily,  and 
having  an  errand  I  kept  on,  hugging  the  houses,  nor 
turned  back  though  the  rain  now  came  down  fast  and  the 
streets  were  all  puddles ;  but,  my  commission  executed,  I 
shared  the  rear  platform  of  the  'bus  with  seven  others, 
all  of  us  dripping." 

On  December  10th,  1902,  he  wrote  to  his  daughter 
Susy  : 

"...  What  a  blessed  thing  it  is  that  every  morn- 
ing we  may  begin  life  afresh.  It  is  hard  to  keep  well, 
specially  when  one  is  old,  if  he  lives  indoors  and,  seated 
in  a  chair,  works  ever  with  his  brain;  and  yesterday  was 
to  me  a  day  of  deep  discouragement,  for  I  broke  down 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       335 

in  writing  my  lecture,  and  it  seemed  so  poor  I  felt  half 
ashamed  to  read  it  when  the  four  students  came,  and  it 
looked  as  if  my  brain  meant  to  strike  work  once  for  all. 
But  I  mention  this  only  to  illustrate  the  blessedness  of 
beginning  a  new  life  with  each  new  day,  for  this  morn- 
ing I  looked  from  my  bed  out  upon  the  fair  world  and 
the  bright  sky,  and  decided  not  to  give  up,  or,  God  help- 
ing me,  retreat,  till  my  work  be  done  and  the  long  resting 
time  be  reached." 

In  a  letter  to  his  sister,  dated  Rome,  December  21st, 
1902,  he  wrote: 

^'  ...  At  one  o'clock  I  drove  Mary  up  to  Ezekiel's 
grand  old  studio,  a  part  of  the  Terma?  of  Diocletian.  He, 
a  Richmond  man  like  me,  has  a  big  heart,  and  every  Satur- 
day gives  a  dinner  to  some  children  and  adult  friends, 
one  of  whom  is  Mary.  I  dined  alone  on  a  young  pigeon, 
daintily  cooked  potatoes,  cold  bread  pudding  and  stewed 
apples  (not  dried  apples)." 

On  January  8th,  1903,  he  wrote  to  his  son  George: 
^'  .  .  .  Tuesday  p.  m.  I  met  my  class  here;  sub- 
ject, Christ's  Intercessory  Work.  I  have  now  completed 
over  200  pages  like  this,  but  more  closely  written,  on 
Systematic  Theology.  On  the  work  of  Jesus  Christ  I  am 
more  and  more  leaving  aside  other  books  and  going  to 
that  one  which  is  the  source  of  all  theology  worth  the 
name.  That  night  (Befana*)  we  had  the  young  people 
of   our   congregation,    students,    etc. ;     twenty-six   in    all. 


^Twelfth  night. 


LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

.     .     .     All  were  so  well  behaved;    in  fact,  they  could 
not  have  been  more  gentle  had  they  been  raised  at  court." 

On  February  7th,  1903,  after  quite  a  sharp  attack  of 
illness,  he  wrote  to  Susy  : 

"...  Mary  has  doubtless  written  you  of  Mr. 
Robert  Ryland,  a  Kentucky  Baptist,  a  grandson  of  old 
Dr.  Ryland,  who  won  in  New  York,  in  a  competitive 
examination,  a  purse  of  $3,000,  for  three  years'  study  of 
art  over  here.  We  had  him  to  dine  last  Monday  night 
and  found  him  ever  so  bright  and  jolly.  The  other  guests 
were  Dr.  Whittinghill,  his  college  mate  and  Winnie  Pig- 
gott.  Mary  gave  us  a  chic  dinner,  and  then  we  played 
logomachy." 

On  March  29th,  1903,  he  wrote  from  Rome  to  his  older 
son: 

"...  Last  Monday  came  the  letter  from  Dr. 
Willingham  informing  me  that  the  Board  had  just 
authorized  my  coming  home  at  my  own  pleasure.  .  .  . 
Several  important,  difficult  questions  of  the  mission  are 
pending  and  I  cannot  leave  the  field  till  they  are  settled. 
Indeed,  it  would  be  of  no  use,  for  black  care  would  still  sit 
behind  me,  and  rest  from  responsibility  is  needed  quite 
as  much  as  from  work.  In  my  lectures  I  have  reached 
Eschatology,  and  if  all  goes  well  the  course  ought  to  be 
completed  by  May  first.  ...  I  would  like  to  leave  as 
early  as  possible  in  May,  but  think  it  more  probable  we 
shall  sail  in  June.  ...  A  frail  man,  turned  seventy, 
must  always  feel  on  the  edge  of  things  and  speak  very 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       66  i 

humbly  about  his  earthly  plans.  ...  1  have  read 
not  without  emotion  your  well  written  tribute  in  the 
Religious  Herald  to  Dr.  Archibald  Alexander  Rice.  How 
well  and  pleasantly  I  remember  his  visits  to  'Kirklea,'  and 
ours  to  his,  as  you  justly  say,  most  hospitable  home!  He 
was  at  once  so  wise  and  able,  and  yet  so  unpretending, 
genial,  and  truly  humble." 

The  next  letter,  dated  April  16th,  1903,  is  to  his  older 
son: 

"...  I  have  spent  some  eight  days  in  bed  since 
my  last  to  Susy.  .  .  .  Really  it  has  been  hard  to 
keep  my  courage  up.  .  .  .  Yesterday,  in  bed,  I 
finished  writing  the  last  lecture  of  my  course.  .  .  . 
As  far  as  my  knowledge  goes  there  yet  remains  to  be 
written  a  really  satisfactory  Systematic  Theology.  .  .  . 
If  my  labor  ever  makes  a  hook,  I  trust  it  will  be  readable 
and  read  outside  the  small  Italian  theological  student 
body.  Yesterday,  with  Mary's  kind  help,  I  sent  off  twenty- 
two  circular  letters  as  to  financial  arrangements  while  I 
am  gone.  .  .  .  Since  I  began  this  I  have  delivered 
my  last  lecture  as  above,  with  some  farewell  words,  speak- 
ing continuously  for  about  two  and  one-half  hours. 
A  Latin  congress  is  now  in  session  in  Rome, 
following  close  on  the  heels  of  an  Agricultural.  .  .  . 
For  a  short  time  there  was  a  general  strike  in  Rome,  no 
cabs  or  newspapers ;  bread-making  and  meat  butchering 
done  by  soldiers.     It  seemed  queer,  but  it  was  soon  over." 

Miss   Chittenden,   a    dear  friend  of    the   family,   who 


338  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

visited  at  52  Giulio  Romano,  wrote  the  following  acrostic 
on  the  namcj  George  Boardman  Taylor: 

SAINT    GEORGE. 

Glorious  the  legend  of  that  wondrous  knight, 
England's  great  patron,  who  in  armour  dight 
O'erthrew  the  dragon,  and  with  lance  in  hand 
Rescued  fair  innocence  and  saved  the  land. 
Gracious  and  fair  he  stands,  an  old  world  dream, 
Embalmed  in  verse,  the  happy  poet's  theme, 
By  painters  praised,  cathedrals  show  his  face; 
On  wayside  shrines  his  faded  form  we  trace. 
And  one  I  know  who  like  in  deeds  and  name 
Raised  up  the  fettered  truth  from  earth  and  shame, 
Dragons  pursued  through  long  and  weary  years, 
Marked  by  strong  faith,  triumphant  over  fears. 
Amid  the  wanderings  of  his  long  crusade 
Near  San  Miclicle  once  his  footsteps  strayed, 
Towards  him  he  looked  who  heard  the  maiden's  plaint 
And  wist  not  he  was  brother  to  the  saint. 
Yet  he  belongeth  to  the  mystic  band. 
Linked  by  a  common  purpose  hand  in  hand, 
On  the  bright  page  where  saints  are  written  down 
Read  twice  St.  George  co-kin  in  cross  and  crown. 

— C,    Chittenden. 


Last  Picture,  Berne,  1903 
(From  a  Kodak) 


CHAPTER  X 

Last  Visit  to  America  —  Last  Years,  and  Death 


Grow  old  along  with  me! 

The  best  is  yet  to  be — 

The  last  of  life,  for  which  the  first  was  made. 

Our  times  are  in  His  hands 

Who  saith,  "A  whole  I  planned, 

Youth  shows  but  half;    trust  God;    see  all,  nor  be  afraid." 

— Brovming. 

According  to  his  plan,  Dr.  Taylor,  with  his  daughter 
Mary,  sailed  early  in  June  for  America  to  make  what  was 
to  be  his  last  visit  to  his  native  land.  After  spending  some 
days  with  his  sister,  near  New  York,  and  yet  other  days 
with  his  son  Spotswood  in  Washington  City,  they  went 
to  Hollins,  Virginia,  to  make  his  headquarters,  while  in 
America,  in  the  home  of  his  son  George.  During  the 
summer  Dr.  Taylor  spent  some  days  at  the  Greenbrier 
White  Sulphur,  whose  waters  had  in  other  years  greatly 
helped  him.  A  serious  and  protracted  illness  of  his 
daughter,  Susy,  made  his  visit  to  America  longer  by 
several  months  than  he  had  intended.  In  November  he 
attended,  in  Staunton,  the  session  of  the  General  Asso- 
ciation, delivering  on  Sunday,  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
semi-centennial  of  the  church,  which  was  also  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  new  meeting-house,  a  historical  address,  which 
was  afterwards  published  and  from  which  extracts  have 


340  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

been  made  in  this  volume.  In  the  same  month  he  went 
to  New  York  City  to  consult  a  specialist,  hoping  for  re- 
lief from  his  deafness.  This  hope  was  not  realized.  It 
was  a  bitter  disappointment,  but  he  bore  it  with  heroic 
spirit. 

It  was  during  this  visit  that  the  incident  occurred  which 
his  younger  son  refers  to  in  the  following  lines,  concern- 
ing Dr.  Taylor's  fondness  for  horses,  and  his  horseman- 
ship: 

'^He  loved  horses  and  never  saw  a  fine  one  go  by  without 
a  comment.  .  .  .  He  was  a  fearless  horseman.  I 
was  very  timid.  I  remember  vividly  my  fright  when  in 
Virginia  in  1885  he  insisted  on  riding  a  very  spirited 
colt.  He  had  difficulty  in  mounting,  because  too  feeble  to 
spring  or  pull  himself  into  the  saddle,  but  once  up  he  was 
at  home  and  the  steed  knew  it.  Then  he  wore  an  expres- 
sion of  confidence  and  his  eye  twinkled  with  amusement 
at  my  concern  as  he  cantered  off.  Eighteen  years  later 
he  was  again  in  Virginia  and  again  eager  to  ride;  and  I 
remember  on  one  occasion  that  after  real  difficulty  in 
getting  him  into  the  saddle,  we  sat  for  an  hour  very 
anxious  for  his  safety,  as  the  horse  was  young  and  not 
without  mettle.  He  came  back  safely,  dismoimted  easily, 
and  later  remarked  in  his  simple,  childlike  way,  free  from 
any  trace  of  boasting,  that  he  did  not  think  the  horse  quite 
spirited  enough  to  be  ridden  just  for  pleasure." 

In  the  early  part  of  April,  1904,  Dr.  Taylor  sailed 
with  his  daughters  for  Italy.  The  splendid  stream  of 
letters  to  loved  ones  continues,  though  space  forbids  copious 
extracts.     His  daughter  Susy  was  quite  ill  upon  reaching 


341 

Rome  and  continued  so  until  the  bracing  air  of  Vallom- 
brosa,  at  which  point  the  family  found  a  satisfactory 
summer  home,  helped  her  towards  recovery.  During  the 
spring  and  summer  Dr.  Taylor  was  far  from  well,  suifer- 
ing  first  from  serious  trouble  with  his  ear  and  later  from 
general  debility. 

In  September,  1905,  he  was  in  Florence  and  saw  the 
city  disturbed  by  riots.  In  October,  in  a  letter  he 
referred  to  the  fact  that  the  Board  in  Richmond  had  made 
an  appropriation  for  the  publication  of  his  work  on 
Systematic  Theology.  The  book  was  subsequently  pub- 
lished and  favorably  received. 

In  a  letter,  November  15th,  1904,  to  his  son  George,  he 
described  his  being  run  over  in  the  Corso,  an  accident 
which  might  have  cost  him  his  life.  Once  before  he  had 
had  a  similar  accident,  and  remembering  the  crowded 
streets  of  Rome,  and  his  increasing  deafness,  his  success 
in  going  about  the  city  proclaims  loudly  his  courage 
and  undaunted  spirit.     A  part  of  this  letter  is  given: 

"  .  .  .  I  went  out  to  cash  a  draft  for  my  salary, 
doing  that  and  other  errands  on  foot.  Then  I  went  to 
the  front  of  Aragno's  cafe,  where  the  'bus  stops,  for  it  is 
too  crowded  usually  to  get  on  it  elsewhere.  It  seemed 
unusually  long  in  coming,  and  as  I  was  very  tired,  having 
taken  only  a  cup  of  coffee  for  breakfast,  and  Susy  having 
begged  me  to  come  home  very  early,  I  stepped  off  of  the 
sidewalk,  hardly  into  the  street,  to  look  up  the  Corso. 
Oh,  if  I  had  not  done  it,  for  a  cab  came  at  full  tilt  and  I 
went  down  as  if  shot !  I  was  helped  into  the  cafe,  and  I 
knew  at  once  that  I  was  badly  hurt  in  the  small  of  my 


342  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

back,  for  I  could  not  stand  up.  I,  however,  did  not  lose 
my  head,  and  got  a  wineglass  of  wine,  but  I  could  not 
reply  to  inquiries.  Then  appeared  the  inevitable  police- 
man. I  asked  to  be  taken  home;  my  one  desire  was  to 
lie  dowD,  and  I  would  gladly  have  been  placed  on  the 
pavement.  As  I  was  placed  in  a  cab  I  fainted,  or  any- 
how lost  consciousness,  and  when  I  came  to  I  found  that 
we  were  headed  the  wrong  way.  In  fact,  we  drove  to  the 
Hospital  of  San  Giacomo;  the  gates  were  unlocked  and 
relocked  after  we  entered.  In  the  meantime  I  had  been 
begging  the  guard,  a  stupid  sort  of  fellow,  to  take  me 
home,  but  in  vain.  The  cab  was  at  once  surrounded  by 
the  hospital  men  and  there  was  the  table  within  the  open 
door  on  the  ground  floor — the  table  on  which  I  was  to 
be  stripped  and  examined,  as  happened  to  me  once  before, 
to  decide  the  nature  and  extent  of  my  hurt.  I  continued 
energetically  to  protest,  admitting  my  state,  but  pleading 
my  right  to  go  home,  and  urging  how  much  better  it  was 
for  me.  In  twenty  minutes  or  half  an  hour,  which  seemed 
much  longer  to  me,  the  delay  doing  me  much  harm,  I 
was  released  and  drove  home  alone;  but  for  the  reviving 
fresh  air,  I  don^t  know  how  I  could  have  stood  it.  Lifted 
into  a  chair  I  was  borne  by  two  men  to  my  bed.  Dr. 
Brock,  a  Scotch  physician,  was  called  by  your  sisters 
through  the  telephone.  He  prescribed  opium  pills  and 
whiskey;  said  the  case  was  not  serious,  no  bones  being 
broken,  but  declined  to  give  any  idea  as  to  when  I  would 
be  relieved  and  able  to  get  about.  Those  days  seem  to 
me  like  a  dark  dream,  as  it  was  hard  to  move  in  bed,  and 
any  movement  of  my  left  leg  caused  severe  pain,  reach- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       343 

ing  up  into  my  reins.  I  was  deeply  depressed  and 
wickedly  longed  to  die.  I  read  a  good  deal,  your  sisters 
most  lovingly  going  here  and  there  for  books. 
Besides  the  direct  pains  there  were  all  the  neuralgic, 
rheumatic  and  sciatic  emphasized,  the  pains  in  the  feet 
being  as  bad  as  any,  but  soothed  with  rubbing  and  bottles 
of  hot  water.  Two  or  three  days  ago  I  was  partially 
dressed  and  lifted  to  an  easy  chair  by  the  bed,  which  was 
a  pleasant  change,  but  was  soon  followed  by  discomfort 
and  pain.  But  I  try  it  now  daily,  and,  as  the  doctor  said 
all  the  possible  movement  would  be  useful,  I  have  just 
made  two  or  three  steps  with  great  effort  and  pain,  lean- 
ing heavily  on  Agncse  and  one  of  my  very  kind  daughters. 
It  exhausts  at  once,  as  neither  back  nor  legs  can  support 
me." 

Early  in  December,  1904,  he  was  at  work  with  his  class, 
and  his  pen  seems  never  to  have  been  idle  long.  In  the 
spring  came  his  appointment  as  a  delegate  to  the  Baptist 
World  Congress  in  London;  the  arrival  of  the  Kev.  Dr. 
Everett  Gill,  with  his  family,  as  a  missionary;  and  the 
announcement  of  the  engagement  of  his  younger  daughter, 
Susy,  to  the  Kev.  Dr.  D.  G.  Whittinghill.  Upon  the 
announcement  of  his  appointment  to  London  he  feared 
he  would  not  be  equal  to  such  a  trip.  When  the  time 
came,  however,  with  his  usual  pluck  and  energy  he  set 
out,  accompanied  by  Dr.  Whittinghill,  and  made  the 
journey  from  Berne  to  London  in  a  single  day.  In  Lon- 
don, where  he  met  his  son  and  grandson,  he  was  especially 
anxious  that  those  with  him  should  enjoy  the  convention, 
and  the  sights  of  the  great  city.     He  and  his  grandson 


344  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

visited  together  more  than  once  the  Britism  Museum,  and 
ever  and  again  he  was  seeking  to  promote  the  pleasure  of 
those  who  were  with  him.  On  Sunday  he  preached,  by 
appointment,  at  Salter's  Hall  Baptist  Church,  his  text 
being  Ps.  ex :  4.  After  these  London  days  the  quartet 
left  for  Berne,  where  on  July  27th  Susy  Braxton,  his 
youngest  child,  was  married,  in  the  beautiful  Protestant 
Cathedral,  to  Rev.  Dr.  D.  G.  Whittinghill.  Before  the 
wedding  and  at  it,  by  his  generosity,  common  sense,  un- 
selfishness, genial  humor  and  cheerfulness.  Dr.  Taylor 
helped  to  make  the  occasion  beautiful  and  pleasant. 

A  letter  written  on  October  21st,  1905,  to  his  son  George, 
refers  to  the  visit  of  various  American  brethren  to  Rome, 
and  to  their  desire  for  enlargement  of  the  work: 

"...  Since  the  visit  of  a  number  of  brethren  to 
Rome  last  summer,  there  seems  to  be  a  disposition  to  buy 
ground     and     erect   nobler   buildings     in   Rome    for   our 

mission,  and  Dr.  W and  I  have  been  looking  for  a 

good  lot,  but  the  cost  is  immense,  one  being  held  at  $120,- 
000,  and  at  least  as  much  more  would  be  needed  for  a 
building  worthy  of  the  site.  I  am,  of  course,  pleased,  but 
am  not  hopeful  that  even  the  best  house  on  the  finest  lot 
would  do  all  that  brethren  imagine — brethren  who  have 
been  mightily  stirred  by  seeing  the  new  M.  E.  edifice." 

During  this  winter  his  work  of  lecturing  to  his  theo- 
logical students  went  on,  though  a  serious  trouble  with  his 
eyes  made  it  necessary  for  him  quite  often  to  use  an 
amanuensis,  and  caused  him  much  pain.  Still  his  letters 
were  long,  and  full  of  details  from  his  own  life,  and  of 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       345 

interest  in  the  smallest  matters  which  concerned  those  to 
whom  he  wrote.  He  was  always  in  touch  with  the  great 
problems  and  events  in  the  religious  and  political  world. 
On  March  13th,  190G,  he  wrote  to  his  son: 

"...  You  see  I  have  been  interested  in  the 
higher  criticism,  and  we  have  gotten  for  the  school  library 
Hastings's  Bible  Cyclopedia,  and  several  other  books  for 
and  against  the  said  criticism.  ...  So  far,  I  am  the 
reverse  of  convinced  by  the  reasonings,  which  seem  in- 
genious and  far  fetched,  but  no  more.  There  is  even  a 
sort  of  fascination  in  them;  at  least  I  can  feel  how  they 
would  be  to  some,  but  they  rather  irritate  and  annoy  me." 

The  following  extracts  from  a  letter,  begun  in  Milan 
and  finished  in  Rome,  describe  the  gathering  of  the  evan- 
gelists in  the  former  city  in  April,  1906: 

"If  you  are  surprised  at  receiving  a  letter  of  mine  hail- 
ing from  this  place,  and  at  this  time,  I  am  even  more  sur- 
prised at  finding  myself  here.  True,  our  Baptist  Con- 
gress has  been  advertized  for  weeks  to  open  here  to-night. 
I  am  one  of  the  three  appointed  speakers,  and  in  accept- 
ing the  task  I  fully  expected  and  meant  to  come,  and  duly 
prepared  my  address;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  serious  in- 
disposition, together  with  the  return  of  winter,  weather 
more  like  January  than  April,  led  me  to  give  up  the 
idea  as  imprudent,  if  not  absolutely  impossible,  up  to  yes- 
terday morning,  and  I  had  arranged  to  send  my  MS.  by 
Dr.  Whittinghill  to  be  read  by  him  or  some  one  else. 
.  .  .  After  my  last  to  you  the  pain  ...  in- 
creased so  much  that  it  became  almost  unbearable,  and  the 


346  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OE 

doctor  had  to  be  called  in.  He  made  my  heart  go  down 
into  my  shoes  by  naming  uric  acid  in  the  blood  as  the 
cause  or  a  cause.  ...  It  bothered  me  more,  as 
symptoms,  and,  in  part,  treatment,  were  like  that  of  my 
father  in  the  last  six  months  of  his  life,  when  he  was  much 
with  me  and  suffered  badly.  ...  In  any  case  after 
a  stunned  sort  of  feeling,  bodily  and  mental,  God  has 
enabled  me  to  kiss  the  rod  and  say  'Thy  will  be  done,' 
whether  it  be  a  deal  more  of  pain  or  a  cutting  short  of 
this  earthly  pilgrimage  to  enter,  I  trust,  upon  a  life  with- 
out pain  or  sin,  but  full  of  perfect  peace.  I  hesitate  to 
write  this,  so  deceitful  is  the  heart — my  heart — but  I  have 
been  greatly  helped  in  reading  Jeremy  Taylor's  'Holy 
Dying,'  a  book  to  make  one  feel  the  goodness  of  God  even 
in  his  worst  moments,  and  the  absurdity  of  ever  murmur- 
ing against  His  ever  wise  and  blessed  will,  and  I  do  think 
after  a  long  and  comfortable  life  I  would  be  an  ingrate 
to  complain.  .  .  .  The  meeting  was  interesting  and 
helpful  with  much  of  brotherly  love,  and  of  the  spirit 
of  prayer." 

A  letter  written  in  bed  under  date,  Rome,  May  18th, 
1906,  tells  of  his  serious  indisposition,  of  the  birth 
of  a  little  granddaughter,  Susy's  child,  and  refers  to  a 
copy  of  a  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  paper,  containing  an  ac- 
count of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention: 

"  .  .  .  In  reading  the  first  number  of  the  Chatta- 
nooga paper,  all  about  the  Baptists,  some  passages  seemed 
strangely  familiar,  and  not  without  a  certain  thrill  I  then 
recognized  my  own  sermon  and  published  tract  of  nearly 
forty  years  ago  on  What  the  Baptists  Have  Done,'  etc. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       347 

But  though  good  to-day,  it  should  have  been  slightly  re- 
vised. This  is  some  encouragement  to  the  frail  old  man 
who  feels  himself  such  a  back  number." 

In  a  letter  dated  June  16th,  1906,  covering  three  large 
pages,  and  full  of  interesting  family  and  mission  inci- 
dents. Dr.  Taylor  says: 

"  .  ,  .  This  morning  at  our  church  Signor  Galassi 
read  the  90th  Psalm,  and  invited  me  to  speak,  which  I 
did  for  fourteen  minutes,  as  it  is  a  psalm  by  me  much 
studied  and  meditated,  and  greatly  loved.  Though  I 
cabbed  it  each  way,  it  was  hard  work,  with  much  resting, 
to  climb  to  our  landing." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  one  of  the  many  letters 
Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  grandson: 

"  .  .  .  It  is  a  pity  you  could  not  taste  some  soup 
from  your  turtle.  Once,  when  a  boy,  I  caught  a  big  cat- 
fish, and  my  grandma  had  a  soup  made  of  it,  which  I 
found  delicious,  though  the  rest  of  the  family  had  a 
prejudice,  very  natural,  against  cat-fish,  but  really  it 
makes  excellent  soup.  In  Kome,  and  specially  in  the 
Ghetto  and  in  the  Trastevere,  there  are  restaurants  which 
oifer  a  famous  fish  soup,  but  whether  cat-fish  enters  into 
it  I  do  not  know.  The  ^Neapolitans  make  much  use  of  all 
sorts  of  small  shell-fish,  which  they  call,  very  poetically, 
the  'fruit  of  the  sea.'     You  write  a  very  good  letter. 

"It  is  nice  that  you  have  so  much  money  from  your 
generous  Uncle  Ivanhoe  and  others,  and  you  naturally 
think  of  the  best  way  to  spend  it,  and  so  learn  the  uses 
of  money  against  the  time  when  you  will  earn  it  with 
your  own  work  of  hands  and  head.     .     .     .     Yes,  it  is 


348  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

nice  for  a  boy  to  have  money  to  spend,  and  it  may  be  of 
great  use  to  him  in  his  practically  learning  what  money 
can  and  cannot  do,  but  I  beg  you  to  lay  to  heart  what  I 
now  say :  that  is,  that  money  in  a  boy's  hands  to  use  as  he 
pleases  is  a  great  danger,  specially  when  his  thought  is 
what  he  can  buy  for  his  own  pleasure  or  advantage,  for 
it  tends  to  foster  that  egotism  and  selfishness  which, 
alas,  are  so  natural  to  us  all.  The  danger  is  greater  in 
your  case  because  you  are  an  only  child.  When  I  was  a 
boy,  if  money  ever  came  to  me,  it  was  never  so  much  as 
ten  dollars,  because  people  would  give  something  to  each 
of  us  six  children;  or,  if  any  came  just  to  me,  I  at  once 
thought  of  giving  some  of  it  to  Sister  Jane,  or  Brother 
James,  or  Charlie  or  Fannie  or  Mary  or  buying  something 
for  each  of  them.  No  doubt  you  are  as  generous  as  I  was — 
young  people  usually  are  generous — but  love  of  money  and 
selfishness  do  grow  on  people  as  they  grow  older,  and  I 
for  one  do  not  wish  ever  to  be  a  selfish  or  avaricious  old 
man;  and  every  month,  as  soon  as  I  get  my  salary,  I 
begin  to  give  away  all  I  can  spare,  and  I  do  without 
many  things  that  I  would  like,  in  order  to  give  to  needy 
and  worthy  persons  and  objects.  My  rule  long  has  been, 
of  every  dollar  I  get,  to  give  away  one  tenth,  but  I  oftener 
give  one  fifth,  and  though  it  means  bread  to  some  who 
would  otherwise  starve,  it  does  me  even  more  good,  filling 
my  heart  with  pure  joy.  Thackeray  was  always  giving, 
now  a  tip  to  a  school  boy,  then  gloves  to  some  girl,  or 
thousands  of  dollars  to  save  a  poor  man  from  ruin.  It  is 
godlike  to  give.  God  is  the  great  giver.  He  has  a 
precious  gift  for  you  which  I  trust  you  will  accept  with 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       349 

a  thankful  heart.  May  His  blessing  be  with  you.  I  love 
you  very  much,  and  wish  all  best  things  for  you,  my  dear 
Cabell." 

In  a  letter,  dated  June  25th,  1906,  he  writes : 

^'  .  .  .  I  have  since  my  last  read  Professor  Orr's 
book,  'Progress  of  Dogma.'  .  .  .  The  Rev.  Dr. 
George  L.  Shearer,  an  old  University  student  friend  of 
mine,  fifty  years  ago,  and  now  Secretary  of  the  American 
Tract  Society,  wrote  me  introducing  his  daughter,  an  art 
teacher  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Mary  hunted  her  up, 
and  she  is  to  dine  with  us  to-night.  Next  Thursday  I 
have  a  final  examination  on  the  last  two  chapters  of  my 
Manual  of  Systematic  Theology.  .  .  .  After  the 
examination  we  shall  flee  like  a  bird  to  the  mountain,  as 
soon  as  may  be,  God  willing." 

The  summer  of  1906  the  family  spent  at  Vallombrosa, 
but  not  in  the  same  quarters  as  the  year  before.  From 
this  summer  home.  Dr.  Taylor  wrote,  July  15th,  to  his 
older  son: 

''  .  .  .  Two  peasants  from  the  Casino  awaited 
us  with  a  sled  drawn  by  milk-white  oxen  for  our  rather 
extensive  luggage,  as,  besides  clothing  and  a  big  carriage 
I  had  just  bought  for  Diana,  we  had  a  big  basket  with 
our  bed  and  table  linen;  and  a  big  donkey  with  rope 
halter  for  bridle,  which  bore  me  hither,  not  without  some 
trepidation  on  my  part,  but  one  of  the  peasants  looked 
after  the  donkey  and  me.  .  .  .  Honey  we  get  from 
the  great  Forestry  establishment  at  Vallombrosa. 
I  give  the  mornings  to  study  and  pen  work,  preparatory 
to  next  session.     The  views  are  fine  and  vary  from  day  to 


350  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

day  and  from  one  hour  to  another,  according  to  the  light. 
This  estate  belongs  to  an  old  and  historic  family 
of  Florence,  the  portraits  of  whose  ancestors  I  have  seen 
in  the  Uffizi  Gallery  there.  .  .  .  You  will  rejoice  in 
Italy's  new  and  increasing  prosperity,  due  to  the  enter- 
prise of  the  people,  and  to  the  superior  ability  of  her 
statesmen.  She  is  now  recognized  as  the  most  prosperous 
country  on  the  continent,  and  as  having  the  brightest 
future." 

The  next  extracts  tell  of  another  trial,  involving  severe 
pain,  which  Dr.  Taylor  was  called  to  undergo.  The  first 
is  from  a  letter  to  his  son,  dated  August  7th,  and  the 
second  from  one  to  his  grandson,  dated  August  8th.  Allu- 
sion is  made  to  Miss  Mattie  L.  Cocke,  president  of  Hollins 
Institute,  Virginia : 

"     .     .     .     On    the    afternoon    of    Susy's    and    Dr. 

W 's  festa     ...     I  had  occasion  to  come  to  the 

house,  and,  needing  a  momentary  support,  I  leaned  against 
a  door  which  I  believed  fastened,  but  which,  anyhow,  gave 
way  and  I  fell  heavily  on  my  back  and  left  hip  on  the 
brick  pavement.  Angiolina  heard  my  cry  and  came  and 
insisted  on  helping  me  up  and  to  bed.  ...  I  waited 
two  days  and  then  sent  for  the  doctor.  .  .  .  On  his 
second  visit  he  mentioned  a  specialist.  .  .  .  Hope 
the    two    'meds'  will    come    this    evening.     .     .     .     Dr. 

W helps  me     .     .     .     but  the  burden  of  me  falls 

almost   entirely  on  Mary,   who   does   everything  for   me. 

jN^ext  to  the  pain  and  confinement,  I  mind  most 

the  interruption,  but  as  to  all  I  wish  to  say  'Thy  will  be 

done.'     .     .     .     Do  not  worry  about  me;    no  doubt  care- 


351 

lessness  has  been  a  fault  of  mine.  .  .  .  Think  that 
when  this  reaches  jou  I  may  be  ever  so  much  better.  I 
have  often  thought  of  a  remark  of  Dr.  Plummer's  in  an 
article  or  essay  on  'Dying,'  that  when  the  pain  is  long 
it  is  not  severe,  or  when  severe  not  long.  I  quote  it,  not 
because  thinking  of  death,  but  only  as  a  generally  com- 
forting thought  about  pain,  even  if  only  partly  true. 
.  .  .  I  had  one  splendid  ride  on  the  donkey,  really 
a  fine  saddle  animal,  with  quick,  easy  walk  and  a  sort 
of  lope  or  canter.  .  .  .  Mary  has  shown  me  to-day  a 
handsome  gold  pin  sent  by  Miss  Mattie  for  Diana,  and 
the  name  engraved.  Naturally,  dear  George,  the  27th 
of  July  recalled  you  and  Cabell  and  our  dear  days  in 
London  and  near  Berne,  and  last  night  I  thought  of  our 
reaching  Paris,  and  of  the  nice  hotel,  etc.  Many  are  the 
treasures  of  memory  which  come  to  us  ^oft  in  the  stilly 
night.'  " 

''Well,  the  two  doctors  came.  .  .  .  The  specialist 
on  hip  diseases  measured  my  legs.  ...  I  had  to  get 
out  of  bed  and  stand,  and  try  to  walk.  He  said  frankly 
that  I  would  have  a  tedious  spell  of  it.  I  was  measured 
for  crutches,  which  he  will  order  from  Florence,  and  I 
am  to  walk  with  them  daily,  no  matter  how  it  hurts,  and 
I  am  to  be  carried  down  by  the  peasants,  and  spend  my 
days  in  the  open  air,  as  my  general  health  was  suifering 
from  the  confinement.  .  .  .  Now,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  I  am  more  cheerful  since  knowing  my  fate,  and 
the  pains  I  will  try  from  now  on  just  to  accept  as  my 
companion  and   friend.     .     .     .     It's   all   right.      Praise 


352  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

the  Lord.     Alas  that  there  are  so  many  other  sufferers! 
There  will  be  no  pain  in  heaven." 

The  next  letter  tells  about  his  crutches,  which  cost  $5, 
and  the  great  affliction  of  Dr.  Everette  Gill  and  family. 
It  is  dated  August  26th,  1906: 

"...  The  Gill  family  have  had  a  hard  time  this 
summer  and  are  not  yet  entirely  relieved.  Without  con- 
sulting any  of  us  they  rented  Mrs.  Leftwich  Dodge's 
house  at  IN'ettuno,  some  forty  miles  from  Rome,  on  the 
sea  coast,  and  Mrs.  Gill  and  the  children  all  had  repeated 
attacks  of  fever,  despite  large  consumption  of  quinine. 
Mrs.  Gill  was  dangerously  ill  and  suffered  terribly. 
.  .  .  Just  as  their  skies  seemed  brighter,  the  little 
three-year-old  Geraldine  sickened  and  died  in  twenty-four 

hours.    Dr.  W ,  telegraphed  for,  went  to  them  at  once 

and  remained  to  the  funeral.     So  did  Mrs.  G 's  sister 

from  Paris.     .     .     .     The  G s  have  shown  a  truly 

Christian  spirit  under  their  great  sorrows." 

From  a  long  letter  written  from  the  same  place, 
Vallombrosa,  September  8th,  1906,  the  following  lines 
are  taken: 

"...  In  most  respects  we  have  had  an  almost 
ideal  summer,  something  to  be  thankful  for,  whatever 
the  future  may  have  in  store  for  us.  The  baby,  of  course, 
is  some  trouble  (not  to  me),  but  I  thinly  far  more  pleasure 
to  the  three  who  care  for  her,  and  certainly  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure  also  to  me.  She  is  fat  and  flourishing. 
She  is  four  months  old  to-day.  Dr.  Whittinghill  is  a 
most  devoted  husband  and  father.  .  .  .  He  has 
proved  a  very  kind  and  helpful  son  to  me.     .     .     .     !N^o, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       353 

the  hip  was  not  dislocated,  but  the  doctors  said  that  a 
small  bone  was  broken  or  displaced.  ...  It  has  been 
very  interesting  to  notice  the  sheep  and  cattle  here  .  .  . 
and  the  various  operations  of  husbandry.  .  .  .  Now 
the  fall  plowing,  with  a  very  large  plow,  is  going  on. 
No  horse;  the  oxen  do  it  all.  The  sled,  which  is  adopted 
for  all  sorts  of  carrying,  the  fences,  everything,  is  made 
without  nails,  the  joining  being  done  with  wooden  pins 
and  by  withes  or  twigs,  which,  while  green,  are  twisted 
into  suppleness,  and  the  fences  are  made  hog  proof  with 
bushes  and  brambles  woven  into  a  sort  of  wattling." 

The  next  letter  written  September  22nd,  1906,  on  a 
big  half  sheet,  part  to  Cabell  and  part  to  Cabell's  father, 
was  from  Perugia,  where  the  family  stopped  for  a  season, 
on  their  way  back  to  Rome: 

'^  .  .  .  We  reached  this  at  10  p.  m.,  I  utterly  worn 
out  and  hardly  able  to  stand,  much  less  walk,  though  I 
had  to  do  both,  and,  despite  heavy  wraps,  I  for  the  last 
few  hours  of  the  trip  had  shaken  with  the  piercing  even- 
ing chills,  as  all  along  there  had  been  heavy  rains.  Other- 
wise, the  journey  was  all  we  could  ask,  as  the  day  was 
bright,  and  I  travelled  like  a  prince,  though  in  third  class ; 

as  Dr.  AY attended  to  all  transfers  and  he  and  Mary 

carried  the  hand  baggage,  and  helped  me  about.  Last 
night  was  the  first  for  ten  days  that  I  was  warm,  as,  after 
the  bad  weather,  my  feet,  most  of  the  time,  were  like  blocks 
of  ice.  I  have  gradually  improved  in  walking  and  seldora 
suffer  pain  at  the  hip,  but  from  sheer  weakness  and  lack 
of  movement  I  can  walk  only  a  few  steps  at  a  time,  and 
only  with  help  or  touching  the  walls  with  my  hands    for 


354  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

support.  But  I  have  abandoned  the  crutches,  which  I 
never  learned  to  use  easily.  .  .  .  Perugia  is  1,700 
feet  above  the  sea. 

^'I  have  just  taken  a  walk  .  .  .  over  this  hilly, 
picturesque  town  of  about  30,000  inhabitants,  everywhere 
admiring  the  noble  architecture,  not  confined  to  the  great 
public  buildings,  for  the  doorway  of  almost  every  house 
is  an  artistic  arch  of  some  kind.  I  remember  Ruskin's 
reproving  the  people  of  Edinburgh  for  having  all  their 
openings  for  doors  and  windows  square.  .  .  .  One 
may  travel  over  America,  aye,  and  England,  and  get  little 
idea  of  architectural  grace  and  loveliness.  He  must  come 
to  Italy  for  that,  and  even  in  her  secondary  cities,  as  here, 
he  will  find  it  at  every  step.  .  .  .  The  day  before  we 
left  Vallombrosa  there  came  the  agent,  in  the  pouring 
rain,  to  take  the  consegna,  i.  e.,  to  go  over  the  list  of 
things  in  the  house  and  see  what  was  broken  or  missing. 
We  had  to  pay  for  several  breakages,  but  he  was  not  hard 
on  us  and  very  polite,  and  we  gave  him  a  cafe  noir. 
Thursday  morning  the  sled,  drawn  by  two  immense  cows, 
bore  the  numerous  pieces  of  baggage  to  the  depot,  and 
then  came  back  for  me ;  it  was  filled  with  hay,  and  on 
that  a  pillow,  on  which  I  came  safely  over  the  steep,  rough 
path  to  the  depot.  It  was  very  cold  and  the  wind  pierced, 
but  I  heartened  myself  that  it  would  be  warmer  at  every 
step,  and,  in  fact,  in  an  hour  we  came  down  some  2,000 
feet." 

On  September  30th,  1906,  from  Perugia,  Dr.  Taylor 
wrote : 

"...     This  house,  an  ex-convent,  is  old-fashioned, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       355 

with  different  levels,  inner  stairs  up  and  down  and  a 
well  in  one  of  the  rooms.  ...  I  am  not  well,  and 
at  times  suffer  a  depression  of  spirits  not  usual  with  me 
hitherto.  In  fact,  T  am  reminded  of  the  words  in  Ecc. 
XII,  *The  grasshopper  shall  be  a  burden  and  desire  shall 
fail,  because,'  etc.  These  may  be  but  passing  feelings; 
but  my  strength  has  failed,  and  as  the  outward  man 
perishes,  I  can  only  pray,  as  you  must,  that  the  inward 
man  may  be  renewed  day  by  day,  in  my  case.  . 
Mary  and  I  leave  to-morrow  morning  early,  and  hope  to 
reach  Rome  in  the  early  afternoon,  and  find  Agnese,  and 
the  house  swejit  and  garnished  to  receive  us." 

On  October  11th,  1906,  Dr.  Taylor  wrote  to  his  son 
at  Hollins: 

'^  .  .  .  Yours  of  the  24th  ultimo  has  arrived.  I 
am  also  indebted  to  you  for  its  predecessor  of  one  week 
before,  in  which  you  tell  of  seeing  your  Aunt  Fannie 
Ficklin  off  after  her  visit  so  pleasant  to  you,  and  leaving 
so  agreeable  an  impression  on  the  community,  of  the  re- 
opening of  school,  of  Mrs.  Atwood,  .  .  .  and  the 
address  of  William  Jennings  Bryan.  ...  I  felt  much 
better  after  getting  to  Rome,  but  have  since  had  some 
return  of  my  trouble.  ...  At  times  my  vitality  and 
my  vital  spirits  seem  very  low,  and  then  both  rise  some- 
what. ...  I  can  walk  now,  about  as  well  as  ever, 
and  try  to  go  a  few  hundred  yards  daily ;  lack  of  strength 
is  the  trouble.  Yesterday  I  staggered  and  nearly  fell  on 
the  street  from  sheer  weakness.  I  kept  up  by  force  of 
will  and  managed,  in  the  four  or  five  blocks  to  the  'bus,  to 
sit  down  twice  on  chairs  in  front  of  cafes.     I  would  have 


356  '  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

taken  a  cab,  but  none  were  in  sight.  I  have  done  some 
reading  in  Dr.  Hodge  and  have  read  the  'Life  of  Lever' 
and  nearly  finished  reading  the  'Life  of  Charles  J. 
Matthews.'  ^Next  will  come  the  'Life  of  Charles  James 
Fox.'  " 

Nicholas  Papengouth,  referred  to  in  the  next  letter,  was 
the  son  of  Count  Papengouth,  and  had  been  for  some 
years  an  evangelist  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention. 
This  letter  is  dated  Rome,  October  21st,  1906: 

"  .  .  .  This  morning  I  received  the  sad  news  of 
the  death  of  dear  Nicholas  Papengouth.  ...  To  me 
it  came  as  a  shock,  and  I  have  almost  exhausted  my 
capacity  for  emotion  since  the  news  came,  for  I  loved  him 
dearly,  and,  despite  some  slight  and  annoying,  and  ap- 
parently absurd,  eccentricities,  he  was  one  of  ten  thousand, 
good  as  gold  and  true  as  steel.  Thus  in  less  than  one 
year  three  of  our  ministers  have  been  called  to  their 
reward,  every  one,  to  human  eye,  prematurely.  Nicholas 
looked  up  to  me  as  a  father,  and  he  was  to  me  a  son.  I 
have  known  him  from  a  boy.  He  died  at  Ana  Capri  of 
fever." 

Dr.  Taylor  held,  up  to  within  a  short  time  before  his 
death,  the  place  on  the  Revision  Committee,  to  which  he 
refers  in  a  letter  dated  November  2nd,  1906,  and  then 
resigned,  when  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Whittinghill,  was  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  him: 

"...  The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
wish  to  revise  Diodati's  version  of  the  New  Testament 
and  have  nominated  a  committee  of  seven  for  the  work, 
all  Italians,  save  Dr.  Piggott  and  myself.     1  am  pleased 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       357 

with  my  appointment,  though  conscious  of  lacking  compe- 
tence for  the  task,  and  dreading  the  meetings  of  the  com- 
mittee on  account  of  my  deafness.  I  shall  probably  soon 
go  to  Florence  for  the  preliminary  meeting.  We  are  to 
begin  with  one  gospel  and  one  epistle.  Two  of  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  Waldensian  school  in  Florence  are  on  the 
committee,  and  on  account  of  their  position,  and  having 
prepared  commentaries  on  the  New  Testament,  are  likely 
to  lead  in  the  work.  Mr.  A.  Meille  (who  succeeded  Mr. 
Bruce,  and  now  goes  out  of  office),  having  reached  the  age 
of  seventy,  will  be  the  secretary  of  the  committee.  The 
other  two  members  you  do  not  know,  nor  I,  but  I  have 
read  their  articles,  and  believe  them  learned  men,  Bian- 
ciardi  and  Taglialatela,  the  latter  of  the  M.  E.  Mission." 

From  an  eight-page,  closely  written  letter  to  his  son 
at  Hollins,  dated  November  21st,  1906,  the  following 
extracts  are  taken : 

"...  Mine  was  the  direttissimo,  and  I  had 
plenty  of  room  in  a  well  warmed  compartment  of  a  corri- 
dor car.  Swiftly  we  fled  northward  and  swiftly  fled  the 
moments,  so  that  ere  I  had  time  to  be  tired  we  were  in 
Florence.  ...  In  the  committee  Mr.  Piggott  sat 
next  to  me  and  with  a  pencil  kept  me  somewhat  in  touch 
with  what  went  on.  Both  of  my  letters  were  read  by 
the  secretary,  in  which  I  expressed  my  reserves  in  accept- 
ing a  place  on  the  committee,  and  also  my  conviction  that 
the  changes  should  be  only  such  as  were  required  by 
fidelity  to  the  original,  and  by  changes  in  the  meaning  of 
words  used  by  Diodati,  or  by  any  of  these  becoming 
obsolete.     This  principle  was  adopted.     Professor  Luzzi 


358  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

was  appointed  to  make  the  revision,  sending  a  copy  to 
each  of  us  with  wide  margins  for  our  suggestions. 
Mr.  Piggott  as  senior,  he  being  seventy-five  and  one-half, 
was  made  president  and  I,  against  my  protest,  vice-presi- 
dent. It  is  an  empty  honor.  We  were  in  session  over 
two  hours,  and  not  only  did  the  occasion  pass  off  easily 
for  me,  who  had  rather  dreaded  it  on  account  of  my  deaf- 
ness, but  I  was  able  to  hold  my  own  and  contribute  my 
share  to  it.  .  .  .  I  have  been  much  interested  in 
examining  the  Gospels  and  Acts  translated  by  the  Jerome 
R.  C.  Society,  and  I  would  write  you  more  about  it,  but 
that  I  think  of  an  article  for  the  press  on  that  subject, 
which  would  be  all  the  more  appropriate,  if,  as  is  rumored 
persistently  in  Rome  for  ten  days,  but  not  published  in 
any  journal,  that  the  Pope  has  really  put  his  veto  on  the 
Society,  and  this  after  having  given  it  his  blessing,  and 
after  tens  of  thousands  of  copies  of  the  extremely  attractive 
booklet  have  been  sold ;  and  although  in  the  preface,  while 
referring  kindly  to  the  work  of  Protestant  ^brethren/  in 
the  diffusion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  there  is  a  formal 
statement  and  defence  of  cardinal  Roman  Catholic 
doctrines.  I  am  now  well  under  way  with  my  class  in 
Systematic  Theology,  and  find  my  deafness  not  as  much 
hindrance  as  I  expected.  Having  studied  the  lesson  care- 
fully, I  prepare  blocks  of  questions  on  slips  of  paper  and 
each  student  draws  a  slip  and  goes  to  work  to  answer  it  as 
in  a  written  examination.  .  .  .  The  hour  is  crowded 
full.  An  oral  quiz  would  have  many  advantages,  but  this 
plan  tends  to  secure  exactness.  The  students  come  to  my 
house,  which  I    very    rarely    leave.     .     .     .     Yesterday 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       359 

morning  came  your  letter  of  the  12th  instant,  telling  of 
the  funeral  of  dear  little  Bettie,  the  child  of  Spotswood 
and  Louise.  It  was  all  the  greater  shock  to  us,  as  your 
letter,  telling  of  her  illness,  had  not,  and  as  yet  has  not, 
come  to  hand.  I  weep  with  the  bereaved  parents,  know- 
ing by  sad  experience,  several  times  renewed,  how  keen  is 
the  pain,  how  heavy  the  blow  when  a  darling,  beautiful 
babe,  a  part  of  one's  own  self,  is  snatched  away.  .  .  . 
My  own  family  is  equally  divided,  the  mother  in  heaven, 
with  Bessie  and  Sally  and  Grace  and  Carter,  and  I  still 
here,  old  and  frail,  sustained  and  comforted  by  the  love 
of  my  four  sons  and  daughters,  who  still  remain.  I  am 
as  thankful  to-day  for  those  who  have  gone  as  for  those 
who  are  with  me.  .  .  .  Dear  little  Grace  was  born 
and  died  when  I  was  in  Stonewall  Jackson's  army  and 
I  never  saw  her,  but  she  was,  and  is,  loved  not  less  tenderly 
than  the  others.  I  remember  praying  all  night  that  she 
might  be  spared,  and  she  had  then  already  winged  her 
way  to  the  heavenly  world.  Ah,  I  can  imagine  Spots- 
wood's  grief!  .  .  .  Since  I  began  this,  your  belated 
letter  of  the  9th  and  10th  has  come,  telling  of  the  dear 
Bettie's  illness." 

The  next  letter,  dated  December  13th,  1906,  was  dic- 
tated. From  this  time  until  his  death,  almost  all  his 
letters  were  dictated,  Mary  or  Dr.  Whittinghill  acting  as 
amanuensis : 

"...  This  is  my  twelfth  day  in  bed,  and  though 
it  irks  me  to  miss  my  class,  and  though  I  have  not  been 
able  to  read  or  write  as  sometimes,  yet  I  am  suffering 
no  real  pain  and  very  little  discomfort.     Some  of  my  bad 


360  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

symptoms  seem  nearly  gone  and  I  hope  in  a  day  or  two  to 
get  up,  despite  some  fear  of  a  relapse.  ...  I  would 
like  to  be  in  your  congregation  next  Sunday,  and  to  have 
a  hug  and  kiss  from  darling  Barbara,  whose  bright 
afFectionateness  abides  in  my  memory." 

On  January  2nd,  1907,  Dr.  Taylor  dictated  a  letter  to 
his  son  at  Hollins: 

''  .  .  .  You  must  know  that  the  thirty-one  days 
of  December  I  was  continually  confined  to  my  bed.  True, 
I  made  three  efforts  to  get  about,  wishing  to  be  up  Xmas 
day,  and  cast  no  shadow  on  the  joy  of  the  rest,  with 
which  I  was  in  perfect  sympathy,  but  I  had  each  time 
to  go  quickly  back  to  bed  or  lie  on  a  sofa  while  our  dear 
ones  and  the  Wilsons  feasted,  and  on  my  birthday  I  had 
to  be  borne  neck  and  heels  back  to  bed.  ...  I  have 
been  very  peaceful  and  happy,  almost  all  the  time,  so  much 
so  in  fact  that  I  have  wondered  sometimes  whether  it  is 
due  to  self-deception,  but  really  I  think  not.  ...  I 
long  to  be  able  to  work  if  it  is  God's  will." 

On  January  16th,  1907,  he  dictated  a  letter  to  his  son 
at  Hollins.  He  alludes  to  Prof.  Frank  W.  Duke,  for  some 
years  professor  of  mathematics  in  Hollins  Institute  and 
now  superintendent  of  the  Mechanics  Institute,  Rich- 
mond, Va. : 

"  .  .  .  I  repeat  my  question,  who  has  taken  Mr. 
Duke's  place,  and  is  teaching  Cabell  algebra  ?  .  .  .  . 
It  is  pleasant  having  our  cousins  in  Rome.  Fanny  and 
Virginia  Goodenow  dined  with  us  on  the  8th.  I  like 
them  very  much.  .  .  .  Later  in  the  afternoon,  Mary, 
who  has  helped  me  with  the  revision,  put  up  and  mailed 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       361 

my  work  to  Florence,  together  with  an  explanatory  note, 
which  she  wrote  for  me.  ...  I  could  not  have 
finished  this  first  instalment  without  Dr.  Whittinghill. 
We  have  been  very  much  excited  over  a  pleasing  fact 
which  will  interest  you  also.  Paul  Paschetto,  who  is 
a  student  in  the  Art  School,  has  just  taken  a  premium  of 
1,000  francs  for  the  best  desig-n  for  the  new  five-franc 
bank  notes.  He  says  it  was  at  my  suggestion  that  he  went 
into  the  competition.  There  were  thirty-four  other  con- 
testants. Now  Vico  Paschetto  has  competed  for  a  prize, 
offered  by  Leo  XIII,  on  'Ostia.'  His  work  makes  a  large 
book,  even  the  index  taking  up  scores  of  pages.  The 
subject  proved  so  big  that  other  competitoi*s  flagged  in  the 
race,  and  he  got  his  MS.  in,  only  at  10  o'clock  at  night 
of  the  last  possible  day.  .  .  .  Acute  pain  I  do  not 
suffer  more  than  once  in  four  or  five  days,  but  much  dis- 
comfort the  rest  of  the  time.  My  head  hot  and  con- 
fused with  an  overpowering  weakness.  ...  I  have 
some  moments  of  deep  depression,  but  in  the  main  praise 
God  for  His  wonderful  goodness  to  me." 

On  January  21st,  1907,  in  a  letter  to  his  grandson, 
Cabell,  Dr.  Taylor,  dictating  to  Mary,  said: 

''  .  .  .  I  am  going  to  send  you  a  booklet  which, 
though  so  tiny,  is  famous,  and  after  two  centuries  is  still 
admired  and  considered  the  chief  authority  on  fishing  and 
other  field  sports.  .  .  .  There  is  a  second  part  of  it, 
which,  however,  is  by  another  hand  and  not  the  work  of 
the  famous  Sir  Isaak  Walton.  .  .  .  My  dear  George 
Cabell,  your  old  grandfather  is  still  very  poorly,  and  leads 
an  amphibious  kind  of  life  between  the  easy  chair  and  the 


362  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

bed.  I  hope  you  will  pray  for  him,  as  he  does  for  you, 
every  day.  It  must  be  a  great  pleasure  for  you  to  have 
little  Barbara  with  you,  and  every  boy  ought  to  have  a 
girl  in  the  home.  I  hear  she  is  very  sweet;  please  kiss 
her  for  me  and  give  my  dear  love  to  your  father  and 
Aunt  Louise." 

The  next  letter,  dated  January  31st,  begun  with  his 
own  hand,  was  finished  by  Mary's: 

"...  Dr.  Aylctt  Cabell's  death  was  a  pain  and 
a  shock.  .  .  .  Mary  kindly  offers  to  finish  this. 
.  .  .  As  little  work  as  the  above,  if  it  can  be  called 
work,  knocks  me  up  for  the  day.  Mary's  view  is  right, 
I  do  not  seem  in  any  danger;  my  delicate  but  tough  in- 
herited organization  would  need  an  even  heavier  strain. 
There  is  just  this  reserve  to  make,  that  after  two  turns 
I  have  felt  it  were  easier  to  slip  away  than  to  stay,  the 
heart  seeming  to  strike  work.  I  have  no  wish  to  speak  of 
my  pains  and  weaknesses,  for  God  knows  them  and  He 
alone  does.  Let  me  rather  praise  Him  for  hours  of  com- 
parative comfort,  and  for  mercies  mixed  with  my  worst 
experiences.  I  cannot  too  often  be  thankful  for  my 
home  comforts,  Mary's  filial  piety,  for  the  affectionate 
fidelity  of  Agnese.  ...  I  always  thought  that  with 
the  spring  and  ability  to  get  out  into  the  open  air  I 
might  regain  my  strength,  but  I  begin  to  doubt  it,  so 
languorous  and  enervating  is  the  Roman  spring ;  so  I  must 
adjourn  such  hope  to  the  summer  and  the  mountains. 
I  have  lost  most  of  the  clinging  to  life,  unless  it  were 
with  health  and  strength  to  accomplish  some  good  work; 
but  I  wish  the  will  of  God  to  be  done,  even  if  it  means  to 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       363 

suffer  pain  and  weakness,  though  to  depart  were  far  better. 
Do  not  worry  about  me,  as  I  am  in  the  hands  of  an  in- 
finitely skilful  and  loving  physician.  .  .  .  About  ten 
days  ago  we  had  three  snow  storms  in  close  succession,  and 
the  snow  of  the  second  remained  for  hours,  adorning 
especially  the  trees  and  fountains,  so  that  all  Rome  was 
thrilled  with  the  mystic  beauty  of  the  Fata  Bianca. 
EveryAvhere  in  Italy  the  snow  lying  to  an  incredible 
height  put  a  stop  to  trains,  so  wonderful  is  the  soft  might 
of  snow  power." 

On  March  4th,  1907,  he  began  a  letter  with  his  own 
hand,  writing  two  pages,  but  several  days  later  he  finished 
it  by  dictating  to  his  daughter : 

"...  This  may  give  you  some  idea  of  how 
shaky  and  weak  I  have  been.  ...  In  general  I  have 
been  able  to  say  'Thy  will  be  done,^  but  under  the  stress 
of  pain,  and  unable  to  work,  the  battle  has  had  to  be 
fought  over  and  over  again.  With  submission  there  is 
even  peace.  .  .  .  To-day  my  Inter-Exam,  is  going 
on  at  the  school.  Yesterday  I  was  mighty  poorly  and 
depressed,  and  it  was  a  labor  to  prepare  the  examination. 
Dexter  and  Vico  Paschetto  will  preside,  as  I  cannot  go. 
.  .  .  Our  trio  has  had  several  pleasures,  a  modest 
outing  or  so  in  the  fine  days,  the  American  ambassador's 
reception  on  Washington's  birthday,  a  play  in  celebration 
of  the  200th  anniversary  of  Goldoni.  ...  I  have 
continued  to  be  miserable  in  body,  but  Mary's  kindness 
continues  unfailing.  All  day  yesterday  she  reminded  me 
vividly  of  your  mother." 


364  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

On  April  28th,  1907,  through  an  amanuensis,  he  wrote: 
"...  This  has  been  an  uncomfortable  day. 
.  .  And  last  night  there  was  little  sleep  for  me,  but 
I  have  had  two  or  three  delicious  naps.  .  .  .  The  day- 
has  been  marked  with  mercies  in  the  form  of  letters  from 
Spotswood,  Louise  and  you.  .  .  .  and  a  handsome 
check  to  Mary  from  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  .  .  .  Day 
before  yesterday  I  took  a  half  hour's  drive  with  Mary, 
Diana  and  her  little  maid.  The  Corso  was  crowded,  and 
the  people  stared  at  us  as  if  they  would  bore  into  our  in- 
most thoughts.  Well  does  Emerson  say  that  eyes  are  like 
lions,  and  rush  in  everywhere.  The  being  carried  down 
and  up  our  spiral  stair  of  sixty-five  steps  is  very  un- 
comfortable, but  the  men  are  so  good  and  well  behaved. 
They  laid  me  on  my  bed  exhausted  and  faint,  and  I 
scarcely  changed  my  position  for  hours.  I  doubt  if  the 
outing  did  me  good.  In  one  respect  I  think  I  have  learned, 
even  quite  lately,  how  to  diminish,  or  do  away  with,  one 
of  my  great  occasional  torments.  I  wish  never  to  be  too 
old  to  learn  anything  good  or  useful.  We  shall  be  learn- 
ing through  all  eternity,  though  our  lessons  will  be  on  a 
higher  grade  and  without  pain  or  sorrow.  ...  I 
suppose  if  we  returned  from  the  eternal  world  we  would 
preach  as  we  have  never  yet  done.  I  often  feel  that  if 
I  were  once  more  a  pastor,  with  normal  health  and  voice, 
that  I  would  make  better  sermons  and  preach  them  with 
more  power  than  I  actually  did,  but  this  is  probably  a 
fond  delusion,  although  the  Bible  does  often  seem  to  me 
more  illuminated  than  of  yore.  In  point  of  fact,  I  am  doing 
very  little  now.     The  students  have  come  regularly  twice 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       365 

a  week,  and  written  out  for  an  hour  the  lesson  in  theology, 
but  I  have  several  times  had  to  receive  them  in  bed. 
They  are  three  dear  fellows,  almost  reverential  in  their 
respect  for  me,  and  really  aifectionate.  ...  I  have 
just  sent  off  to  Florence  a  small  batch  of  revision,  and  am 
at  work  on  another — at  work  in  the  sense  that  a  sick  and 
bed-ridden  man  can  be." 

On  May  29th,  1907,  he  dictated  a  letter,  alluding  to 
the  International  Sunday  School  Convention,  and  to  Rev. 
Robert  Walker,  then  a  missionary  of  the  English  Baptist 
Mission  in  Italy;    now  working  in  ISTew  York  City: 

''  .  .  .  Mr.  Walker  stayed  with  us  during 
the  Sunday  School  Congress.  .  .  .  The  Congress 
opened  with  a  reception  and  banquet  at  the  Quirinal 
Hotel,  which  your  sisters  and  Dexter  enjoyed.  About 
200  ladies  and  gentlemen  sat  down  together,  mostly 
Americans.  .  .  .  The  English-speaking  meetings  in 
the  American  Methodist  Church  were  interesting  and 
helpful.  Mary  was  most  impressed  with  the  two  sermons 
and  talk  of  Campbell  Morgan." 

In  a  letter  dated  Rome,  June  16th,  1907,  and  dic- 
tated, allusion  is  made  to  the  departure  for  the  summer 
home  and  to  the  volume  on  Pastoral  Theology,  which  he 
was  working  on,  but  which  he  never  finished : 

"  .  .  .  We  hope  to  leave  Wednesday  night;  I  in 
the  Pullman,  Mary  and  Dexter  third  class,  reaching 
Pracchia  at  8  in  the  morning.  ...  I  do  not  seem 
ever  to  have  been  weaker  than  in  these  June  days,  per- 
haps on  account  of  the  warmer  weather,  and  the  journey 
seems  almost  impossible ;  but  I  have  often  been  quite  poorly 


366  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  seemed  to  gain  in  travelling.  I  am  also  a  little 
afraid  of  the  sharp  change,  and  of  the  high  altitude,  but 
hitherto  my  constitution  has  shown  great  adaptability. 
If  I  have  been  in  some  respects  less  well  off,  it  has  only 
given  fresh  occasion  for  Mary's  great  kindness,  and  I  have 
had  many  mercies.  ...  If  I  could  only,  with  her 
and  Dexter's  help,  complete  my  monograph  on  the 
ministry,  and  publish  it  in  English  and  Italian,  I  should 
be  glad." 

The  next  letter,  dictated  to  Mary  and  addressed  to  his 
daughter-in-law,  Louise,  is  dated  June  23rd,  1907,  Le 
Rcgine,  Boscolungo,  this  being  a  high  point  in  the  Apen- 
nines, and  tells  of  the  journey  from  Rome  to  the  family's 
home  that  summer: 

"...  Wednesday  night,  the  19th  instant,  about 
ten  o'clock,  I  was  dressed,  and  then  carried  dowm  by 
Dexter  and  the  porter  to  the  carriage,  and,  with  my  head 
on  Mary's  breast,  driven  to  the  station,  Dexter  making 
a  third.  Several  of  the  students  and  young  men  of  the 
church  were  awaiting  us,  by  several  of  whom  I  was  borne 
to  my  cabinet  in  the  Pullman  sleeper,  and  laid  upon  the 
couch.  We  had  only  hand  baggage,  trunks  and  chairs 
having  been  previously  shipped.  The  little  rooms  on  the 
sleeper  are  like  the  cabins  of  a  steamship,  and  a  great  im- 
provement on  the  American  ones.  I  was  the  sole  occupant 
of  mine,  and  kept  the  windows  open  all  night.  The  bed 
was  soft,  and  but  for  my  bodily  troubles  the  journey  would 
have  been  made  in  perfect  comfort.  As  it  was,  I  had 
journeying  mercies,  and  was  vastly  entertained,  gazing 
out  of  the  window  into  scenery  illuminated  by  the  moon, 


367 

and  very  soon  bj  the  early  morning  light,  which  clothed 
all  in  beauty.  At  Florence,  about  six  in  the  morning,  we 
were  met  by  the  dear  Walkers,  who  brought  scones  and 
marmalade,  and  Mary  got  me  a  huge  bowl  of  caffe  e  latte 
from  the  cafe.  Another  hour  passed  pleasantly  and 
another  less  so,  made  so  by  the  smoke  of  twenty-two 
tunnels,  which  was,  however,  less  than  later  in  the  day. 
What  I  hated  most  was  Mary  and  Dexter  coming  third 
class.  With  the  help  of  rapacious  porters,  I  was  carried 
to  the  inn  across  the  road,  where  we  were  soon  comfort- 
ably quartered,  and  at  one  o'clock  Susy  and  her  two  little 
girls  joined  us.  I  passed  twenty-four  hours  mostly  in 
discomfort  and  pain,  and  my  effort  to  sit  up  was  un- 
successful. The  next  morning,  i.  e.,  Friday,  our  servant 
arrived,  and  by  ten  o'clock  we  were  all  oif  in  a  light,  four- 
seated  carriage  drawn  by  two  horses,  the  cook  riding  on 
a  trunk  in  the  harroccino^  of  luggage.  The  drive  to  this 
place  seemed  to  me  almost  impossible,  but  lying  head  and 
shoulders  in  Mary's  lap,  and  legs  stretched  over  to  the 
front  seat,  supported  by  Dexter,  it  was  achieved  by  me 
with  a  relative  comfort,  but  greatly,  I'm  sure,  to  their 
discomfort ;  but  they  were  both  perfectly  sweet,  and  Susy 
so  patient  with  Diana,  a  little  feverish  and  restless.  The 
road  over  the  mountains  crossed  and  ascended,  and  seemed 
interminable,  but  I  had  at  the  last  a  delightful  surprise, 
for  when  we  halted  and  the  driver  began  to  blanket  his 
horses,  and  I  thinking  we  were  still  far  from  our  goal 
asked,  'Why  are  we  stopping  ?'     Mary  said :  'Because  here 


*A  kind  of  cart. 


368  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

we  are  to  live.'  In  fact  we  were  in  front  of  a  low  stone 
house,  plumb  with  the  road,  and  I  was  carried  up  and 
put  on  the  bed,  where  I  have  been  ever  since.  .  .  . 
The  air  is  fresh  and  the  landscape  fine,  but  the  fir  forest 
less  accessible  for  me  than  I  had  hoped.  All  settled  them- 
selves promptly.  Provisions  had  been  brought  and  others 
awaited  us  here,  so  the  family  life  was  promptly  and 
pleasantly  started.  This  is  the  beauty  of  furnished 
lodgings  in  the  mountains  of  Italy:  you  reach  a  strange 
and  unknown  house,  and  by  the  time  you  have  bathed 
face  and  hands  in  spring  water,  a  fire  is  burning,  kettle 
boiling  and  a  comforting  cup  of  tea  is  served  you,  as  if 
you  had  just  returned  home  from  an  hour's  drive;  then 
you  get  between  cool  linen  sheets,  coarse  but  clean,  and  are 
soon  in  dreamland,  the  country  of  nod,  life  resumed  with 
scarcely  a  break ;  or,  if  you  are  a  careful  Martha,  you  go 
to  work  and  spend  the  hours  in  unpacking  and  arranging 
according  to  taste  the  furniture  of  different  rooms." 

On  June  27th,  1907,  he  wrote  from  Boscolungo,  ex- 
plaining why  he  had  written  less  frequently  for  some  time : 

"For  months  the  thumb  of  my  right  hand  has  been 
very  sore,  so  that  the  hand  has  been  no  use,  only  a  care: 
which  added  to  very  extreme  weakness  has  made  writing 
even  more  impossible.  ...  I  am  to-day  just  half  way 
between  seventy-four  and  seventy-five.  I  no  more  count 
years,  but  days.  The  past  six  months  have  been  marked 
with  severe  trials,  but  also  with  signal  mercy;  the  next 
six,  if  I  live  or  die,  are  in  God's  hands.  .  .  .  We  find 
the  house  even  more  roomy  and  commodious  than  we  ex- 
pected.    ...     Of    course,    all    is   rustic   and     rough. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       369 

Provisions  seem  abundant.  .  .  .  Between  Dexter  and 
me  we  have  a  good  supply  of  books.  .  .  .  The  trio 
stay  in  a  pretty  sitting  room  on  the  ground  floor,  sewing, 
reading  aloud  or  writing.  ...  So  far  I  have  stayed 
in  my  room  and  bed ;  but  have  been  carried  up  and 
down  three  times  by  Mary  and  Dexter,  or  by  Mary  and 
Eliza,  the  cook.  The  stairs  are  steep  and  narrow.  Of 
course,  1,400  metres  above  sea  level,  it  is  cold ;  but  wrapped 
up,  like  the  sick  baby  which  I  am,  I  am  now  by  an  open 
window  with  a  smiling  landscape.  Boscolungo  is  a  mile 
away  with  its  hotels ;  cabs  and  carts  move  swiftly  up  and 
down  the  great  road,  here  nearly  level.  Tuscany  and 
Modena  and  another  great  division  of  Italy  corner  here. 
I  suffer  a  good  deal  .  .  .  and  Sunday  when  it  rained 
the  torture  extorted  cries  for  mercy.  ...  I  enjoy 
my  daily  chapter  in  the  Bible,  and  calling  up,  even  re- 
constructing, dear  old  hymns  learned  when  a  babe  and 
long  out  of  mind,  and  am  mightily  stirred  by  the  reports 
in  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention  Minutes,  and  en- 
couraged about  the  Italian  work,  and  ^All  the  days  of  my 
appointed  time  will  I  wait  till  my  change  come.'  Per- 
haps later  this  summer  I  may  feel  better  and  stronger." 

On  July  15th,  1907,  he  wrote  from  Boscolungo,  dic- 
tating to  his  daughter.  After  discussing  fully  some  plans 
which  concerned  the  welfare  of  his  son,  he  referred  to  him- 
self: 

"...  I  have  been  kept  almost  constantly  in  bed 
by  my  weakness  and  by  the  cold.  .  .  .  June  and 
July  seem  to  have  been  inverted.  .  .  .  When  life 
and  spirits  have  seemed  at  the  lowest  ebb,  God  has  not 


370  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

allowed  me  utterly  to  sink,  and  one  day  when  I  was  full 
of  fear  for  what  might  be  coming  I  found  great  comfort 
in  the  text,  'What  time  I  am  afraid  I  will  trust  in  Thee.' 
I  am  now  hoping  every  day  for  some  real  July  weather. 
Is  the  moon  at  fault  ?  And  if  it  is  Mars,  I  wish  the  Con- 
ference at  La  Hague  would  dethrone  him.  For  a  fort- 
night I  have  read  almost  nothing.  ...  I  have  en- 
joyed the  Century  Bible  on  I  and  II  Corinthians;  you 
know  the  book ;  the  volumes  are  small  with  good  intro- 
ductions. ...  I  would  like  to  send  you  a  volume 
or  two.  ...  I,  to-day,  resigned  my  position  on  the 
Revision  Committee.  The  London  Society  had  politely 
asked  me  to  associate  some  one  with  me  to  represent  me 
and  help  me  when  I  was  too  unwell  for  the  duty,  but  it 
seemed  wiser  to  lay  down  entirely  a  burden  which,  how- 
ever honorable,  is  now  too  heavy  for  me  to  bear." 

The  next  letter,  dictated  to  his  daughter,  and  dated 
Boscolungo,  July  28th,  1907,  gave  much  space  to  the 
affairs  of  the  one  to  whom  he  wrote : 

"...  The  139th  Psalm  comes  home  to  me  as 
never  before  and  I  feel  the  force  of  that  verse,  'I  am  fear- 
fully and  wonderfully  made.'  My  body  is  still  a  great 
mystery  to  me,  but  how  keen  its  susceptibilities  for 
pleasure  and  for  pain!" 

The  next  letter,  dated  Boscolungo,  August  2nd,  1907, 
was  to  Cabell,  and  was  dictated  to  Mary: 

"  .  .  .  At  11  o'clock  Dexter  left  in  the  bright 
moonlight,   on   a   donkey,   with  a   party  of  gentlemen  to 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       371 

make  the  ascension  of  Monte  Cimone.  The  latter  part  was 
too  steep  even  for  the  donkeys,  and  they  had  to  scramble 
up  on  their  own  feet.  They  arrived  at  the  Refuge, 
and  then,  after  a  hurried  breakfast,  hastened  to  the  summit 
to  see  the  sunrise,  and  the  vast  prospect  of  mountains,  to 
the  Adriatic  on  one  side  and  the  Carrara  Mountains  on 
the  other.  Of  course  they  got  back  here  quite  tired,  the 
excursion  having  occupied  just  thirteen  hours.  .  .  . 
There  is  ever  the  comfort  that  I  am  always  in  the  hands 
of  a  kind,  heavenly  Father.  Whether  I  am  to  get  better 
and  get  out  again  remains  to  be  seen.  It  will  be  all  right 
either  way.'^ 

On  August  11th,  Dr.  Taylor,  at  Boscolungo,  dictated 
a  letter  to  Spotswood  and  his  wife  Louise.  He  alludes 
to  Dr.  Charles  Euchariste  de'Medici  Sajous,  author  of 
numerous  medical  books;  a  member  of  twenty-two 
scientific  bodies,  and  Knight  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  of 
France;  dean  and  professor  in  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College : 

^'  ...  If  you  have  seen  my  last  to  George  you 
know  of  the  kindness  of  a  French  physician,  long  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  who  is  visiting  some  rela- 
tions a  few  doors  from  us  and  who  volunteered  to  pay  me 
a  visit.  I  count  this  a  real  Providence.  .  .  .  The 
doctor  says  I  have  no  real  disease.  He  is  very  kind  and 
very  clever.  .  .  .  True  religion  consists  first  of  all 
of  trust,  humble  trust  in  Jesus  Christ.  My  own  ex- 
perience is  summed  up  in  some  dimly  remembered  lines 


372  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

of  a  hymn  learned  long  ago,  and  which  runs  somewhat 

thus: 

*^Iy  grief  and  burden  long  have  been 
Because  I  could  not  cease  from  sin; 
The  more  I  strove  against  its  power, 
I  sinned  and  stumbled  but  the  more, 
Till  late  I  heard  my  Saviour  say: 
Come  hither,  child;    I  am  the  Way. 
So,  glad  I  come,  and  thou,  blest  Lamb, 
Wilt  take  me  to  Thee  as  I  am; 
Nothing  but  sin  have  I  to  give, 
Nothing  but  love  shall   1  receive.' 

On  September  3rd,  1907,  the  family  left  Boscolungo 
and  went  to  Maresca,  a  few  miles  distant.  Here  several 
weeks  were  spent. 

A  letter  from  his  son,  who  had  been  on  a  trip  along  'New 
River,  recalled  the  scenes  of  his  early  life  as  the  following 
letter,  dated  Maresca,  September  22nd,  1907,  and  dic- 
tated to  Mary,  shows: 

'^  .  .  .  I  remember  so  well  New  River.  .  .  . 
I  recall  attending  the  Associations  when  I  was  agent  for 
various  causes,  once  for  our  State  Mission  Board;  I  went 
on  horseback  and  it  was  fine.  I  had  a  horse  at  Buchanan ; 
when  I  got  to  the  Association,  I  tied  him  at  the  best  place 
I  could,  but  it  was  very  steep.  When  I  came  out  he  was 
down;  I  was  scared.  The  brethren  helped  me  get 
him  up.  I  drenched  him,  afraid  I  should  have  the 
horse  to  pay  for,  but  I  got  back  all  right.  .  .  . 
The  railroad  was  to  Jackson's  River.  Mr.  Mason  gave  me 
an  order  for  a  buggy  and  pair.  I  invited  Alfred  Dickin- 
son to  go  with  me.     When  we  got  into  the  carriage  the 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       373 

horse  reared  up  again  and  again,  as  Mr.  Mason  said  he 
would,  then  we  drove  to  the  White  Sulphur.  .  .  . 
At  Covington  there  was  a  toll  bridge;  I  thought  to  save 
toll  and  forded,  but  had  to  pay  toll  just  the  same.  Those 
covered  bridges  !  I  can  see  them  now.  ...  I  usually 
lodged  at  the  jail,  the  jailer  being  a  Baptist.  Once  I 
remember  a  negro  slept  in  the  same  room.  I  didn't 
mind,  but  I  was  tormented  by  the  bowlings  of  a  maniac 
confined  in  the  jail.  Twice  my  buggy  wheel  broke  at 
almost  the  same  point.  I  had  to  have  the  wheel  mended 
while  I  waited." 

Dr.  Taylor  continued  weak  and  suffered  much.  It 
was  therefore  decided  to  return  at  once  to  Rome,  where  he 
might  enjoy  the  comforts  and  liberty  of  his  own  home. 
He  had  rallied  from  so  many  serious  attacks  that  even 
the  dear  ones,  who  were  with  him,  did  not  realize  that 
the  end  was  near.  His  daughter  wrote  to  one  of  her 
brothers  in  America  that  he  might  die  in  six  months  or 
outlive  his  children.  The  following  letter  from  Mary 
gives  some  idea  of  the  complications  which  had  to  be 
met  when,  from  a  village  in  the  Apennines,  near  Modena, 
she  wished  to  go  with  one  quite  sick  and  frail,  all  the  way 
to  Rome: 

"...  The  plan  now  is  for  us  to  leave  here  Tues- 
day morning  and  take  the  hour's  drive  to  Pracchia,  put 
up  at  the  hotel  there  and  see  Dexter  and  Susy  on  their 
way  to  Siena.  We  meant  to  leave  that  night  for  Rome, 
Father  in  the  first-class  wagon-lit  [sleeper]  and  I  in  third, 
with  our  summer's  cook;  but  it  is  impossible  to  get  the 
sleeper  before  Wednesday  night,  so  I  suppose  we  shall 


374  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

wait  and  let  Lisa  go  on.  The  procuring  of  this  sleeper 
proves  a  complicated  affair  from  these  country  places.  I 
wrote  to  Bologna  to  know  how  to  go  about  it  and  received 
reply  that  I  must  telegraph  to  Vienna,  paying  for  a  reply 
and  sending  the  money.  At  the  funny  little  low  stone  in- 
terior, with  the  quaint  kitchen  in  the  background  and  the 
baby  playing  on  the  ground,  the  young  woman  telegraph- 
operator  took  about  an  hour  for  this  famous  telegram, 
never  having  sent  one  'alV  estero  [to  a  foreign  coimtry] 
before.  When  it  was  finally  accomplished  she  said  she 
could  not  send  a  vaglia  telegraphico  [a  telegraphic  money 
order],  as  this  was  only  a  post  office  of  second  ordine 
[second  class].  I  must  go  to  Bardalone  or  San  Marcello, 
several  miles  off.  This  I  combined  with  a  drive  for 
Father,  but  there  the  male  operator,  son  of  the  pizzicagnolo 
[butcher],  was  even  more  ignorant;  was  sure  it  could 
not  be  sent  to  the  telegraphic  address  given  me  from 
Bologna,  Schlafsivagen-Wien  [Sleeping  car,  Vienna],  as 
he  was  sure  Schlafswagen  must  be  the  name  of  the 
town,  and  received  the  announcement  that  Vienna 
is  in  Austria  as  a  sensational  piece  of  news.  He  refused 
to  send  it  to  anything  less  than  a  Compagnia.  So  we  com- 
promised on  'Comp.  Inter.  Wagon-lits.'  Then  came  the 
mighty  operation  of  finding  out  how  many  crowns  18 
francs  would  be,  which  he  said  would  be  so  complicated 
that  he  would  send  the  bill  and  receipt  the  next  day 
through  the  telegraph  sposina  of  Maresca.  I  still  await 
his  bill  and  receipt  and  wonder  how  much  this  blessed 
sleeper  will  end  by  costing.  We  have  gotten  the  reply 
to  the  Maresca  telegram,  saying  a  sleeper  will  be  reserved 


REV.  GEORGE  BOABDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       375 

for  the  25th,  but  omitting  to  give  the  number  of  the  berth. 
I  hope  they  will  connect  the  Maresca  telegram  with 
Bardalone  money  order.  It  is  like  negotiating  for  the 
purchase  of  Poland." 

From  Maresca  Dr.  Taylor  sent  a  number  of  picture 
postal  cards  to  Cabell,  and  on  September  23rd,  a  brief 
letter,  the  last  thing  he  ever  wrote  with  his  own  hand. 
The  following  letter  of  Mary  to  her  sister  describes  the 
journey  to  Kome.     It  is  dated  Rome,  September  26th: 

"...  Yesterday  and  last  night  were  about  the 
longest  twenty-four  hours  I  ever  saw.  Even  at  Pracchia 
there  was  sirocco,  and  Father  gave  up  even  sitting  up, 
recognizing  that  his  donkey  ride  was  out  of  the  question. 
.  .  .  In  the  afternoon  Father  and  I  both  made  fruit- 
less efforts  to  nap,  and  read  ^The  Crime  of  the  Boulevard,' 
which  is  terrible  but  interesting.  .  .  .  Made  several 
efforts  to  find  out  if  a  telegram  had  come  from 
Schlafswagen ;  went  over  and  had  another  talk  with 
the  capo  stazione  [station  agent],  engaged  facchini 
[porters]  to  carry  Father  and  impedimenta;  made 
myself  tea ;  got  the  perfectly  satisfactory  bill  and 
paid  it  and  tipped  the  servants  to  their  satis- 
faction. Father,  very  generous  minded  about  the  money, 
gave  me  carte  hlanche,  to  do  my  best,  which  was  a  great 
help.  I  could  get  him  to  eat  nothing  all  day  save  a  little 
milk,  a  drop  of  broth,  a  bunch  of  grapes.  The  last  wing- 
less hours  dragged;  it  began  to  deluge  with  rain  and 
dark  as  ink.  About  8.30  p.  m.  I  went  over  and  bought 
Father's  first-class  and  my  second-class  ticket.  It  was 
lucky  I  had  not  taken  a  third-class  ticket,   as  you  will 


376  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

hear.  I  ordered  hot  milk  for  Father,  but  he  closed  his 
teeth  and  left  it.  At  last  the  facchini  came,  but  were  most 
clumsy  about  carrying  him  in  a  straight-up  chair. 
Fortunately  the  rain  held  up.  We  got  to  the  platform  ten 
minutes  before  the  train  was  due.  .  .  .  The  train  was 
nearly  an  hour  late;  Father  got  quite  worn  out  and  began 
to  groan  aloud.  .  .  .  Finally  .  .  .  the  train 
rushed  up ;  then  we  had  a  simply  dreadful  time  getting 
him  on.  .  .  .  When  the  train  whirled  away  after  the 
one  minute's  stop,  which  the  capo  stazione  must  have  pro- 
longed, Father  was  somehow  in  a  knot  of  blankets  in  a 
berth.  ...  I  had  flung  my  things  into  a  second-class 
compartment  full  of  priests  and  strangers,  aidled  by  a 
kind  Samaritan,  whom  I  had  been  hating  shortly  before 
for  staring.  ...  I  fixed  Father  the  best  I  could 
and  got  off  at  the  first  brief  stay  of  the  train.  The  Lord 
had  really  providentially  put  my  second-class  compartment 
next  to  the  Pullman.  What  I  should  have  done  if  I  had 
taken  third  I  don't  know.  ...  I  found  my  things 
scattered  over  the  crowded  compartment,  but  the  people 
were  really  kind.  The  train  stops  only  a  moment  at  each 
place,  so  I  spent  my  time  vibrating  and  anxiously  peering 
out.  Strange  to  say,  of  Father's  hat,  cap,  mitts,  valise,  my 
dear  bag  George  gave  me,  lunch  basket,  rug,  shawl  strap 
and  two  pillows  and  mug,  only  the  mug  was  left.  .  .  . 
At  Florence  all  the  nice  people  got  out  and  a  very  common 
set  of  people  crowded  the  compartment.  A  very  ordinary 
Neapolitan  family  in  white  shoes,  dusters  and  crimpy, 
hatless  hair,  I  thought  were  going  to  be  trying.  ...  I 
knew  I  was  too  excited  to  sleep  myself,  so  I  fixed  my 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       377 

pillow  on  my  lap  for  the  little  girl  to  have  a  nap,  and  the 
little  kindness  seemed  to  quite  change  the  atmosphere, 
and  make  the  woman  different.  ...  I  fixed  Father's 
window  and  covered  him  well,  explained  the  situation 
concisely,  forcibly  and  audibly;  made  him  stretch  out  his 
arm  and  touch  the  bell ;  told  him  the  porter  was  pining 
to  wait  on  him.  .  .  .  The  porter  kept  longing  for 
his  dear  Austrian  trains  in  which  there  is  a  communica- 
tion between  cars.  One  comfort,  he  was  very  good  form, 
and  helped  me  in  and  out  as  if  I  had  been  the  Duchess. 
.  .  .  The  porter  behaved  like  an  angel.  I  went  no 
more,  but  at  every  station  he  hung  out  on  his  platform 
and  told  me  how  our  baby  was  getting  on,  quite  peace- 
fully. At  Orte  he  said  Father  wanted  me  to  come  at  last 
station  before  Rome  to  dress  him  and  he  would  come  for 
me.  I  got  Father  a  hot  bowl  of  coffee,  but  there  was  not 
time  to  convey  it  to  him,  so  I  had  to  drink  it,  and  the  heat 
of  it  was  comforting.  The  second  half  was  so  black  and 
plenteous  I  donated  it  to  a  funny,  red-headed  boy  who 
had  lost  his  hat.  .  .  .  He  smiled  such  appreciation 
as  only  a  boy's  stomach,  and  a  red-headed  boy  at  that, 
could.  At  Cammini  I  again  entered  the  beleaguered  city, 
found  Father  enthusiastic  about  porter's  kindness;  he 
said  the  night  had  been  tolerable  and  allowed  himself 
to  be  dressed.  .  .  .  The  Roman  campagna  looked 
lovely;  all  purple  and  brown  shades  with  grey  oxen  just 
like  one  of  Carlandi's  pictures.  Ecco  Roma !  The  porter, 
thoroughly  my  friend  for  two  more  francs,  said  that  we 
had  better  wait  until  the  train  emptied  to  get  Father  out, 
and    of    course    I  would    be  met.      I    said:  ^Of  course.' 


378  LIFE    AXD    LETTEES    OF 

.  .  .  I  wished  I  had  telegraphed  to  Paschetto  or 
Galassi.  However,  when  I  got  out,  no  one  was  there,  not 
even  Vincenzo.  I  engaged  two  good  facchini,  who  con- 
sulted with  the  Pullman  porter,  decided  a  chair  would  be 
best,  and  went  for  it.  They  were  gone  some  time  and  I 
stood  by  the  stuff.  Suddenly  the  scene  changes.  Vincenzo 
appears,  smiling,  looking  a  very  respectable  servant; 
Adolfo,  a  howling  swell  in  a  beautiful  overcoat;  Lillian, 
younger  and  more  distinguished  in  a  new  brown  hat  and 
travelling  suit.  They  had  come  to  fetch  us  with  their 
automobile.  .  .  .  The  facchini  reappear  with  a  nice, 
comfortable,  padded  chair  into  which  a  fairly  smiling 
^Angelical'*  is  put  tenderly,  wrapped  in  rug,  and  a  most 
distinguished  procession  moves  to  the  buffet.'  ...  I 
have  so  often  felt  ourselves  a  shabby  show;  now  we  are  a 
really  elect  spectacle.  .  .  .  Adolfo  quietly  affection- 
ate, but  he  mesmerizes  the  situation;  the  waiters  in  the 
buffet  feel  we  are  very  important.  ...  I  have  a 
coffee,  Father  orders  consomme,  takes  only  one  spoonful 
and  then  orders  Vincenzo  to  eat  it  for  him.  .  .  . 
Amidst  an  amphitheatre  of  faces  we  all  get  into  the  motor 
and  are  very  gently  tooted  along  not  to  shake  Father. 
I  could  have  cried  with  the  comfort  of  being 
so  lovingly,  so  competently  cared  for.  .  .  .  The 
chauffeur  brought  Father  up  in  his  arms,  and  they  left. 
I  cannot  describe  what  their  meeting  me  meant.  It  was 
like  those  restful  solutions  in  novels.     Agnese,  neat  and 


*"The  Angelical"    (doctor),  a  name  bestowed  upon  Dr.  Taylor  by 
his  family  circle. 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYEOR,  D.  D.       379 

dear,  awaited  us ;  the  house  nicely  cleaned  seems  a  para- 
dise.    I  am  so  glad  to  be  in  it." 

The  story  of  the  days  following  the  return  to  Rome  is 
told  in  a  letter  from  Mary  to  her  brothers.  She  and 
Dr.  Taylor  arrived  in  Eome  Thursday  morning.  She 
wrote : 

"...  He  was  so  pleased  that  morning  to  be  at 
home  in  his  own  room  and  with  his  loving  Agnese  to 
attend  him.  .  .  .  Soon  after  we  arrived,  the  servant 
brought  Dr.  Sajous'  card  with  the  message  that  he  had 
called  to  hear  if  we  had  arrived.  Father  said  at  once 
that  he  wished  me  to  go  and  arrange  a  dinner  of 
gentlemen  in  Dr.  Sajous'  honor,  as  he  was  going  to  leave 
the  city  so  soon  to  sail ;  that  he  would  get  away  unless  I 
was  quick.  I  promised  as  soon  as  my  trunk  came  I  would 
do  so.  He  said  he  felt  about  honoring  Dr.  Sajous  as 
Mary  did  about  the  precious  ointment  for  Christ's  feet. 
Dr.  Sajous'  advice  had  been  so  helpful.  He  hoped  now 
to  be  much  better,  that  he  must  take  a  drive  next  day. 
He  talked  about  wanting  to  help  our  porter  in  a  more 
systematic  way  so  that  the  family  could  put  something 
into  the  post  office  savings  bank  for  the  hard  summer 
months.  Asked  for  his  letter  to  George  but  seemed  per- 
fectly satisfied  when  I  told  him  I  had  already  sent  it. 
Said  he  wanted  the  letter  to  Cabell,  which  I  enclose.  The 
time  passed  in  my  unpacking  his  valise  and  attending  to 
things  about  the  house  with  reference  to  getting  in  order 
for  having  a  dinner  for  Dr.  Sajous.  He  said  he  would  get 
some  new  linen  for  the  house.     He  enjoyed  his  broth  and 


380  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

a  peach — seemed  so  much  interested  in  everything.  After 
lunch  there  was  a  young  fellow  came  with  a  tale  of  woe, 
no  work  and  no  money — wanted  enough  for  a  third-class 
ticket  to  Ancona.  Father  made  me  usher  him  into  his 
room  and  made  him  write  out  his  tale ;  ordered  Agnese  to 
give  him  something  to  eat,  invited  him  to  dinner  next 
day,  which  he  said  he  would  get  up  to  share.  In  the  night 
he  suffered  acutely.  .  .  .  Friday  he  felt  better  in  the 
morning,  but  by  midday  began  to  be  very  feverish.  How- 
ever, he  dictated  two  notes  to  help  the  young  man  get  a 
place  or  help,  and  said  if  he  returned  without  either  I 
must  give  him  the  money  to  go  to  Ancona,  which  I  did. 
Of  course  he  was  not  able  to  get  up  and  seemed  to  feel 
much  more  unwell,  suffering  so  with  his  head. 
His  fever  made  me  uneasy.  At  4  Dr.  Sajous  and  Signor 
Giomi  called,  and  the  former  went  in,  but  Father  was 
too  weary  to  say  much.  He  only  squeezed  his  hand  and 
said:  'My  dear,  good  friend.'  After  they  left,  I  sent  for 
Burroni,  our  own  doctor,  but  the  porter  returned  to  say 
he  was  out  of  town.  Agnese  and  I  were  up  with  Father 
all  night.  ...  I  was  alarmed,  and  as  soon  as  I  could 
get  off  I  took  a  carriage  and  went  to  ask  W.  Wall  what 
doctor  was  in  town.  ...  I  found  that  one  was  at 
the  German  hospital  and  went  there  and  got  him.  He 
said  pulse  was  bad  and  fever  nearly  104°.  Said  to 
nourish  him  often.  He  had  objected  to  food  so  much  in 
the  last  weeks  I  was  surprised  at  his  readiness  to  take 
food  and  stimulants.  Every  time  we  left  the  room  to  get 
something  he  would  say:  'Don't  go.'  'What  time  is  it?^ 
At  12.30  I  was  so  alarmed  at  his  appearance  I  gave  him 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       381 

brandy  and  water  .  .  .  and  he  passed  away  in  one 
moment.  ...  in  my  arms,  without  any  struggle  at 
the  last." 

Dr.  Taylor  died  Saturday  morning  September  28th, 
1907.  The  funeral  took  place  on  Monday.  A  letter  from 
Mary  describes  the  funeral  and  the  incidents  connected 
with  it.  The  Eoman  law  would  not  allow  the  body  to 
remain  in  the  home  beyond  Sunday  night,  so  it  was 
carried  that  night  to  the  cemetery,  where  the  funeral 
took  place  the  next  afternoon.     Mary  wrote: 

^'  .  .  .  Several  of  the  church  people  came  to  look 
at  his  face,  but  with  the  most  exquisite  and  loving 
reverence.  They  had  a  memorial  service  at  the  church  at 
7,  and  at  8  came  here  for  a  service  around  the  coffin,  which 
was  placed  in  the  parlour.  Hannibal  Fiore,  who  loved 
Father  like  a  son,  conducted  it  very  sweetly,  and  there 
was  a  prayer  in  English  by  one  of  the  Methodists.  Some- 
how it  had  none  of  the  awfulness  of  a  funeral.  His  own 
portrait,  above  the  illuminated  parchment  given  by  the 
church,  looked  down  on  the  casket,  covered  with  his  own 
favorite  red  carnations  and  other  flowers.  With  the  lights, 
it  was  somehow  bright  and  lovely.  Adolfo,  Dexter  and 
Hannibal  went  with  the  coffin  to  the  cemetery.  .  .  . 
The  funeral  was  at  5  o'clock  Monday;  the  air  soft,  the 
sky  rose-colored  above  the  cypresses,  all  the  brilliant 
autumn  flowers  in  bloom.  There  were  many  wreaths  and 
flowers  and  palms,  and  a  good  many  present,  but,  of 
course,  not  as  it  would  have  been  in  the  winter.  It  was 
the  most  beautiful  funeral.  .  .  .  Lovely  addresses 
were  made  by  Signor  Galassi  and  Dr.  Clark — Dr.  Clark's 


382  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

address  being  peculiarly  tender  and  appropriate — and 
prayers  by  Signer  Conti  and  Campbell  Wall,  who  had 
come  on  purpose  from  Florence;  one  stanza  of  'Shall  we 
gather  at  the  river?'  and  one  of  'Su  verde  colle  nel  pcese 
dore  spunta  il  soV  I  had  insisted  that  the  funeral  should 
not  be  long,  and  before  the  dusk  fell,  we  started  back, 
after  seeing  the  grave  filled  and  innumerable  flowers  cover 
it  and  mother's  grave." 

On  Sunday,  September  27th,  1908  (while  this  book 
was  in  press),  a  memorial  tablet  to  the  memory  of  Dr. 
Taylor  was  unveiled  in  the  Staunton  Baptist  Church. 
Upon  this  occasion  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Manly,  who  im- 
mediately succeeded  Dr.  Taylor  in  the  pastorate  in 
Staunton,  delivered  a  memorial  address,  and  the  Rev.  Dr. 
O.  F.  Gregory,  the  pastor  of  the  church,  read  lines  he  had 
composed.  The  tablet  was  provided  through  the  free  gifts 
of  many  who  knew  and  loved  Dr.  Taylor,  no  one  giving 
more  than  a  dollar.  Dr.  Gregory's  poem,  entitled  "A 
Tribute  of  Love:  In  Memory  of  Dr.  George  Boardman 
Taylor,"  read  as  follows: 

A  noble  mission  is  fulfilled. 

The  dear,  brave,  loyal  heart  is  stilled, 

The  faithful  lips  are  dumb; 
The  busy  hands  find  rest  at  last, 
The  work  is  o'er,  the  conflict  passed. 

And  peace  is  come. 

Those  white,  still  lips  beneath  the  sod 
Many  a  soul  have  won  for  God; 

And  who  may  tell 
How  many  hearts  that  patient  pen 
Has  blessed,  and  cheered  and  soothed  again 

At  Baca's  well! 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       383 

With  loving  seeds  by  the  wayside  sown, 
Many  an  erring  one  he  has  borne 

To  Jesus'  feet; 
And  in  these  homes  his  words  of  prayer 
Have  made  the  sorrow  seem  less  drear, 

The  joys  more  sweet. 

Then,  when  the  Master's  loving  hand 
Had  led  him  from  his  native  land 

To  preach  "at  Rome"— 
With  steadfast  faith,  and  courage  high 
The  cross  was  borne,  to  do  and  die 

In  his  new  home. 

So  day  by  day  his  faint  feet  trod 
The  path  that  led  him  nearer  God 

And  nearer  home; 
And  then  his  footsteps  touched  the  brim 
Of  Jordan's  waters  cold  and  dim 

With  dashing  foam. 

"The  faith"  was  kept;  "the  course"  was  run, 
The  final  victory  grandly  won! 

And  now  the  King 
Doth  grace  his  brow,  all  seamed  with  scars, 
With  wondrous  crown  of  "many  stars," 

While  anthems  ring. 

During  the  last  years  of  Dr.  Taylor's  life  no  one  was 
so  constantly  his  companion  as  his  daughter,  Mary  Argyle 
Taylor.     The  following  is  from  her  pen: 

^'During  the  service  of  Good  Friday,  when  St.  Peter's 
is  thronged  with  people  from  all  over  the  world,  thirteen 
lighted  candles  stand  on  the  High  Altar  while  the  Lament- 
ations and  Penetential  Psalms  are  chanted.  One  by  one, 
at  intervals,  these  candles  are  put  out,  until  only  one  re- 


384  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

mains  lit,  which  is  carried  behind  the  altar  and  kept 
there  while  the  famous  Miserere  is  sung.  It  is  curiously 
impressive,  the  vast,  dark  church  with  the  kneeling  people, 
and  that  one  tiny  flame  burning  to  symbolize  Christ's 
being  hidden  in  the  tomb,  but  not  extinguished.  Everyone 
is  more  keenly  conscious  of  that  one  concealed  taper  than 
of  the  twelve  which  stand  upon  the  altar.  This  abased, 
but  steadily  burning,  light  always  reminded  me  of  my 
father's  penetrating  and  pervasive  influence.  Apparently 
segregated  from  his  fellow-men  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  life  by  deafness  and  frail  health,  compelled  to  spend 
three-fourths  of  his  time  in  bed,  having  to  gradually 
relinquish  his  part  in  outside  engagements,  and  be 
patronised  by  his  inferiors  because  they  could  hear  and 
walk  around,  while  he  was  restrained  by  physical  ailments, 
his  spirit  was  not  embittered  nor  his  spiritual  force 
abated. 

^'What  impressed  everyone  most  about  him,  whether 
he  spoke  or  kept  silent,  was  his  saintliness ;  and  it  was 
curious  how  this  noiseless  personality  crossed  the  barriers 
of  language  and  nationality  and  was  felt  by  high  and  low, 
so  that  while  the  ignorant  peasant  of  the  Basilicata  called 
him  a  waxen  Jesus,  his  brethren  sought  his  counsel  and 
approval,  and  men  like  Spurgeon  and  Philip  Schaff  felt 
in  him  a  kinship  of  spirit.  Valets  may  not  recognize 
heroes,  but,  according  to  Wesley's  interpretation  of 
religion,  they  must  know  who  are  the  genuine  Christians, 
and  the  middle-aged  serving  man  who  waited  on  us  in 
the  Carrara  Mountains  decided  that  in  the  course  of  his 
life  he  had  only  met  two  real  saints :  one  was  the  venerable 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       385 

Marchese  Durazzo  of  Genoa,  and  the  other  was  my  father. 
A  like  testimony  was  rendered  hy  everyone  who  served 
him.  A  lifelong  study  of  the  gospel  and  a  constant  com- 
munion with  God,  into  which  he  took  the  greatest  and 
the  pettiest  care,  had  bred  in  him  a  piety  as  deep  as  it  was 
without  austerity.  In  some,  religion  repels ;  but  with  him 
it  passed  through  the  alembic  of  a  just  mind  and  'a  nature 
sloping  to  the  Southern  side,'  so  that  even  alien  spirits 
saw  the  beauty  of  holiness.  A  naturally  quick  temper 
and  incisive  tongue  had  been  reduced  to  control,  so  that 
men  who  knew  him  as  an  old  man  thought  him  preemi- 
nently meek,  and  though  inheriting  the  sensitive,  high- 
strung  temperament  of  what  Holmes  calls  the  Brahmin 
class  of  ISTew  England  there  was  nothing  mean  or  sour 
in  his  temper.  He  used  to  say  that  he  had  learned  much 
from  his  wife  in  never  letting  things  rankle,  and  that  the 
generous  healthiness  of  her  nature  had  helped  correct  any- 
thing morbid  in  his.  He  had  the  charity  which  thinketh 
no  ill,  and  a  great  patience  with  the  mistakes  and  sins 
of  the  young,  saying  that  men  slough  oif  many  faults 
merely  by  living  and  that  he  had  too  many  follies  of  his 
own  to  remember,  not  to  give  others  the  benefit  of  the 
doubt.  A  power  of  seeing  the  other  man's  side  was  in- 
stanced in  his  favorite  saying  that  we  should  not  hold 
people  to  what  we  considered  the  logical  consequence  of 
their  premises.  His  mind  had  a  judicial  character,  and 
before  becoming  a  minister,  he  read  law  with  keen  zest, 
and  delighted  in  going  to  hear  the  men  who  made  the 
Southern  bar  illustrious.  He  loved  argument  as  a  gym- 
nastic of  the  mind  and  revelled  in  discussion  of  abstract 


386  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

and  concrete  questions,  so  that  one  of  his  other  children 
said  that  he  missed  his  oldest  daughter  the  most,  because 
she  disagreed  with  him  the  most.  On  the  other  hand, 
with  that  keen  truthfulness  which  can  never  be  forgotten, 
he  used  to  warn  the  same  daughter  not  be  pugnacious  and 
always  in  the  opposition ;  and  tease  her  by  saying  that  he 
had  never  seen  her  so  really  attractive  as  on  one  occasion 
when  too  sleepy  to  argue  she  had  merely  fanned  herself 
and  graciously  agreed  with  all  he  told  her. 

^'Coming  to  Italy  when  a  series  of  mistakes  and  errors 
on  the  part  of  men  who  knew  neither  the  complicated 
field  nor  the  Italian  people,  he  found  the  Baptist  cause 
a  bit  of  burnt-off  ground  with  an  ugly  scandal  annexed. 
Even  the  name  of  Baptist  was  in  evil  repute,  and  his 
being  a  Southerner  was  against  him,  as  people  were  full 
of  T^ncle  Tom's  Cabin'  and  deeply  prejudiced  against 
foreigners  who  belonged  to  a  slave-holding  people.  The 
other  denominations  resented  the  advent  of  another  divi- 
sion in  the  work.  His  intercourse  with  them  was  such 
that  in  a  few  years,  Dr.  McDougall,  representing  the  Free 
Church  of  Scotland  in  Florence,  pronounced  him  the 
godliest  man  in  the  evangelical  work,  and  his  relations 
with  all  the  ministers  were  cordial  and  pleasant. 

"Those  who  heard  it  never  forgot  a  little  speech  he 
made  when  representing  the  Baptists  at  the  Waldensian 
tricentenary  of  their  'Glorious  Return'  to  their  Valleys. 
He  told  of  the  Scotchman  who,  walking  in  a  thick  white 
mountain-mist,  saw  a  horrible  monster  approaching  which, 
when  he  summoned  nerve  to  penetrate  the  fog,  and  touch, 
proved  to  be  his  dear  brother  John  rendered  terrible  by 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       387 

the  rolling  vapor,  adding:  'Let  not  the  mists  of  miscon- 
ception and  prejudice  part  us ;  let  me  be  your  brother 
George  to  help  and  love  you.'  And  his  spirit  and  actions  so 
well  bore  out  his  words  that  several  of  the  more  prominent 
Waldensians  used  to  speak  of  him  afterwards  affectionate- 
ly by  the  title  of  our  brother  George.  An  Italian  minister 
of  another  denomination  said  after  his  death :  'In  the  often 
stormy  meetings  of  our  Evangelical  Alliance,  he  was 
always  the  dove  of  peace,  bearing  the  olive  branch.' 

"Under  his  gentleness  was  concealed  a  strong  sense  of 
justice  and  insight  into  character.  After  he  became  deaf 
to  all  voices  but  those  of  his  daughters,  one  wondered  he 
could  so  correctly  size  up  people,  but  his  family  found 
that  in  the  long  run  his  estimate  of  men  was  far  more 
just  than  theirs,  and  mingled  with  this  clear  discern- 
ment was  a  saving  sense  of  humor  which  smiled  while  it 
perceived,  and  twinkled  afterwards  into  observations 
too  acute  to  be  reported.  He  could  not  hear,  unless  it  was 
repeated  to  him,  what  people  said,  but  he  watched  their 
faces,  their  gestures  and  unconscious  mannerisms,  and 
proved  Emerson's  axiom :  'What  you  are  speaks  so  loud 
I  cannot  hear  what  you  say.' 

''With  his  fellow-missionaries  he  went  out  of  his  way 
to  be  friendly  and  generous,  seeking  to  render  every 
courtesy  and  kindness  possible  and  ready  to  love  and 
admire  all  their  gifts.  Sometimes  his  household  grew 
impatient  of  his  discovering  so  many  virtues  in  Aristides, 
but  his  attitude  was  partly  due  to  his  anxiety  that  he 
might  not  fall  into  any  discord  with  his  fellow-workers, 
remembering  petty  quarrels  among  missionaries  when  his 


388  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

father  was  Secretary  of  the  Board  and  desiring  to  live  at 
peace  with  all  men. 

"He  was  an  ardent  and  firm  Baptist,  but  no  man  was 
more  magnanimous  in  his  relations  to  other  denomina- 
tions. He  condemned  such  phrases  as  ^We  Baptists  are 
not  too  smart  to  follow  the  Word  of  God'  as  implying  a 
discourtesy  and  uncharitableness  to  other  Christians,  but 
he  wrote  and  spoke  clearly  and  well  on  the  Baptist  posi- 
tion, both  in  Italian  and  English.  Since  his  death  the 
ministers  in  Southern  Italy  have  decided  to  republish 
at  their  own  expense  his  chapter  on  Baptism,  from  the 
Manual  of  Theology,  as  the  best  statement  of  their  views 
which  they  can  find. 

"Anglo-Saxons  have  sometimes  treated  their  Italian 
brethren  as  inferiors  and  called  them  to  account  as  they 
would  underlings.  My  father's  feeling  was  that  the 
evangelists  must  feel  responsible  to  God  rather  than  to 
him.  He  treated  them  as  gentlemen,  expecting  the  same 
in  return,  having  a  genuine  sense  of  the  dignity  of  every 
human  being,,  and  believing  that  men  respond  to  what  is 
expected  of  them.  Generally  he  was  justified  in  this  ex- 
pectation, and  if  in  one  solitary  case  the  minister  to  whom 
he  had  forgiven  the  most,  from  whom  endured  the  most 
and  to  whom,  perhaps,  loaned  the  most,  was  the  one  to  mis- 
represent and  criticize  him,  and  write  the  most  insulting 
and  thorny  letters,  this  was  due  rather  to  wrong-headed- 
ness  than  to  aught  else.  Perhaps  there  have  to  be  cranks 
to  keep  the  world  from  becoming  monotonous. 

"Italians  are  suspicious  and  quick  to  attribute  the  most 
ignoble  motives  when  things  displease  them,  so  that  his 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       389 

thirty-odd  years'  administration  brought  him  many  insult- 
ing letters,  many  vexing  problems  which  made  sleepless 
nights,  but  he  learned  to  take  it  all  first  to  God,  and  never 
to  make  a  decision  and  send  off  a  letter  written  in  the 
first  heat,  but  to  modify  and  rewrite  it  so  that  there  might 
be  no  acrimonious  counter  thrust.  He  used  to  say  that 
he  had  learned  that  he  must  either  thicken  his  skin  or 
die,  and  that  he  decided  to  live,  but  those  who  loved  him 
felt  that  it  was  not  a  very  tough  skin  even  then. 

'^Of  course  his  delicate  health  and  deafness  brought 
many  disappointments,  many  mortifications.  He  had  to 
learn  to  be  counted  out  among  the  active  ones.  Once 
when  a  sister  church  was  holding  its  annual  meeting  at 
which  representatives  of  the  other  denominations  were 
expected  to  express  sympathy,  he  took  a  carriage,  at  some 
inconvenience,  and  went,  with  a  carefully  prepared  and 
friendly  address.  His  presence  was  ignored,  a  lesser  man 
spoke  in  his  stead ;  and,  knowing  what  an  effort  his  coming 
had  been,  his  daughter  accompanied  him  home  with  a 
lump  in  her  throat  and  a  little  bitterness  in  her  heart. 
But  when  they  got  to  his  room,  and  he  had  been  divested 
of  the  carefully  saved  black  coat  which  made  such  a 
background  for  his  delicately  chiselled  face,  he  said: 

''  ^My  precious,  you  must  not  worry.  It  hurt  me  at 
first,  but  it  is  the  discipline  God  sees  I  need.  I  must 
just  learn  to  be  nothing  if  He  wishes.  You  and  I  must 
take  these  things  to  Him.' 

"After  which  his  spirit  seemed  to  rebound  sunnily,  and 
the  only  effect  of  the  episode  was  increased  tenderness 
for  his  companion. 


390  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

''With  a  certain  buoyancy  was  united  unusual  poise 
which  enabled  him  to  retreat  to  the  hermitage  of  a  quiet 
mind  when  there  was  confusion  of  tongues,  and  the  super- 
ficial who  had  never  tried  it  made  dogmatic  criticisms  on 
the  work,  and  insisted  on  methods  which  he  had  long 
used  or  discarded. 

"No  man  could  have  such  a  field  as  his  for  the  last 
thirty-five  years  of  his  life  without  seasons  of  discourage- 
ment and  temptation,  but  he  reasoned  so:  Do  I  think  this 
work  should  be  abandoned  ?  No.  Well,  if  I  give  it  up 
and  go  back,  they  will  have  to  send  out  another  man,  who 
will  know  even  less  than  T  do  of  the  complications,  and 
he  will  lose  some  years  in  getting  the  experience  I  have 
gained.  My  return  will  discourage  others ;  I  will  stick  it 
out.  And  this  he  did  through  isolation,  vexations,  trials, 
good  and  evil  report,  and  even  in  this  world  he  reaped  his 
reward  from  the  land  of  his  adoption  in  the  love  of  many, 
and  a  unique  trust  in  the  crystal  integrity  of  his  heart 
and  purpose.  After  he  had  resigned  the  administrations 
of  the  Mission  the  ministers  and  little  churches  vied  with 
one  another  to  do  him  honor,  and  show  him  affection 
with  a  truly  loving  grace  peculiarly  Italian. 

''In  a  meeting  of  the  Baptist  Union  in  Rome,  when  the 
gathered  ministers  from  all  over  Italy  had  been  moved  to 
tears,  and  stirred  to  fresh  resolution  by  his  address  on  the 
duties  of  the  minister  in  his  home,  they  sent  out  in  haste 
for  a  great  sheaf  of  red  roses,  and  the  son  of  one  of  the 
ministers  was  entrusted  with  it  as  an  expression  of  their 
love  and  gratitude.  As  the  young  fellow  stepped  up  on  the 
platform  towards  him,  and  held  out  the  flowers  with  their 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       391 

mute  language,  my  father  threw  his  arms  spontaneously 
around  the  lad's  neck  and  kissed  him,  so  that  the  virile 
young  head  and  the  delicate,  venerable  one  meeting  above 
the  roses  made  a  picture  which  brought  do\vn  the  house 
in  a  wave  of  applause  mingled  with  smiles  and  tears. 

^^A  rigid  economist  in  all  personal  things,  he  was  gen- 
erous in  giving  not  only  to  the  church,  missions  and  the 
poor,  but  delighted  in  sending  a  doll  to  a  child,  books  or 
gloves  to  a  young  girl,  a  picture  or  jewel  to  a  bride.  He 
was  fond  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes'  saying  that  every 
man  is  an  omnibus  carrying  all  his  ancestors  in  himself, 
and  it  was  eminently  true  of  him,  for  he  combined  the 
lavish  generosity  of  his  paternal  English  grandfather  with 
the  close  economy  of  the  saving,  fastidious,  scholarly 
New  England  stock  of  which  his  mother  came;  but  he 
made  the  most  beautiful  division  of  these  inherited 
qualities.  The  munificent  gifts  and  loans  were  for  the 
needy,  but  he  saved  a  crust  of  bread  for  his  own  next 
meal  when  travelling,  and  no  economy  was  too  small 
which  touched  himself  only.  His  children  cannot  see 
without  tenderness  certain  little  black  account  books  in 
which  every  item  was  entered  and  the  close  calculations 
made,  which  rendered  possible  the  travel  and  books  which 
usually  fall  only  to  the  rich. 

'^One  of  his  daughters  was  a  bad  sailor,  and  in  crossing 
to  the  island  of  Sardinia  she  was  so  sick  and  limp  that 
when  they  took  the  train  at  the  Golfo  degli  Aranci,  she 
did  not  notice  much  when  he  said  he  would  go  into  another 
compartment  so  she  could  lie  down.  It  was  only  after 
some  distance,  she  discovered  that  he  had  put  her  into  first- 


392  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

class  and  was  travelling  third  himself.  He  saved  every 
centime  when  travelling  for  the  Mission  and  as  an  agent. 

"While  sympathizing  with  and  helping  the  Italian 
evangelists  to  the  extent  of  his  power,  he  insisted  on  a 
careful  economy  and  business  accuracy,  and  said  he  was 
not  ashamed  to  be  called,  like  a  great  English  statesman, 
'the  watch  dog  of  the  treasury.'  His  mind  was  an  unusual 
combination,  having  a  capacity  for  abstract  philosophical 
reasoning  and  an  almost  excessive  care  for  practical  de- 
tails. His  fellow-traveller  was  sometimes  vexed  by  the 
deliberation  and  attention  with  which  he  scanned  every 
item  of  a  bill,  but  the  waiter  was  always  conciliated  in 
the  end  by  a  generous  tip,  and  welcomed  him  next  time 
with  a  warm  smile  and  a  remembrance  of  the  frugal  meal 
he  ordered. 

''His  gentle  but  very  decided  personality  and  delicate 
waxen  face  with  its  bright  blue  eyes  was  never  forgotten, 
and  it  might  be  years  before  he  returned  to  a  place,  but 
he  was  always  promptly  recognized  even  by  the  most 
casual  observer.  His  children  said  they  could  never  travel 
unobserved  because  they  were  always  identified  by  him. 
A  stranger  struck  by  his  appearance  one  day  in  the 
crowded  Via  Calzaiuoli,  gazing  at  the  statue  of  St.  George 
on  the  Or  San  Michele,  recognized  him  long  afterwards 
when  they  met  in  a  mountain  village,  and  after  they  had 
become  good  friends  wrote  the  acrostic  on  his  name,  given 
above. 

"Personally  he  cared  not  at  all  for  material  luxuries. 
A  small,  battered  valise,  bought  in  London  in  1870,  con- 
taining a  Bible,  a  Testament,  a  comb  and  a  few  flannels, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       393 

was  all  he  required,  but  his  daughters  must  always  have 
a  trunk.  'I  want  you  to  have  your  white  frocks  and  your 
best  bonnets,'  he  would  say,  and  he  loved  to  bring  them 
back  from  his  trips  a  bit  of  filmy  lace  or  a  pair  of  gloves, 
being  fastidious  in  such  things  for  a  woman.  Especially 
after  their  mother's  death  he  gave  to  his  daughters  the  most 
chivalrous  love  and  care,  seeking  to  take  her  place  and 
give  them  the  sympathy  she  would  have  yielded  in  their 
joys  and  sorrows.  Feeling  that  their  mother  had  largely 
worn  herself  out  in  the  service  of  others,  he  sought  the 
more  to  spare  them,  and  paid  them  the  delicate  attentions 
and  loving  homage  which  women  usually  receive  only  from 
their  lovers.  For  his  oldest  daughter,  who  from  circum- 
stances was  most  constantly  with  him  in  his  latter  years, 
he  found  the  prettiest  compliments,  improvised  verses 
and  culled  from  literature  the  sweetest  names,  calling  her 
by  turns  his  'little  son  Eric,'  his  'Lovey  Mary,'  'Hilde- 
garde,'  after  a  fiery  but  favorite  heroine,  and  many 
another.  During  his  last  year  he  seemed  to  feel  even 
more  than  usual  the  pressing  needs  of  our  little  brothers 
and  sisters,  the  poor,  and  one  day  as  she  was  moving 
about  his  room,  he  said:  'My  dearest,  I  have  been  think- 
ing I  should  like  to  give  you  something  really  beautiful, 
a  jewel  or  breast-pin,  you  could  keep  always — but  when 
I  see  the  poor  around  us,  I  just  cant]  the  money  must  go 
to  them.'  And  it  did.  For  his  hearer  such  precious  words 
made  opals  pale  and  diamonds  dim.  On  her  twentieth 
birthday  he  sent  her  a  small  bottle  of  Frangipani  perfume 
with  one  of  his  charmingly  penned  notes  in  which  he  said 
that  he  loved  this  scent  because  her  mother  had  always 


394  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

used  it  when  they  were  first  married.  His  deafness 
seemed  to  make  his  other  senses  more  acute:  nothing 
escaped  his  keen,  sea-blue  eyes,  and  he  had  the  suscepti- 
bility of  a  delicate  organization  to  the  faintest  fragrance. 
We  could  never  see  lemon-verbena  growing  without  begging 
a  sprig  for  him,  and  the  friend  who  dubbed  him  *the 
Angelical  Doctor,'  a  name  so  apt  that  it  became  general, 
said  she  loved  to  see  him  absent-mindedly  pull  out  his 
pocket  handkerchief  and  shower  around  the  dry  aromatic 
leaves  and  little  drifts  of  rose  petals  which  he  had  thrust 
into  his  pocket.  His  youngest  son  remarked  that  his 
sisters  were  spoiled  for  living  with  'human'  men,  because 
they  would  expect  them  to  be  like  their  father.  It  was 
not  to  his  own  wife  and  daughters  alone  that  he  gave  the 
generous  care  American  men  are  so  prompt  to  render  to 
their  families,  but  to  every  woman  he  met.  He  often 
quoted  Xapoleon's  saying,  'Respect  the  burden  bearer,' 
when  he  made  us  make  way  for  the  peasants,  and  when 
almost  too  weak  to  sit  up  he  would  pull  himself  to  his 
feet  to  greet  a  woman,  fetch  a  foot-stool  or  place  a  chair, 
so  that  to  many  he  was  the  embodiment  of  Colonel  New- 
come.  Two  days  before  he  died,  when  he  reached  the 
Rome  station,  exhausted  by  the  long  night  journey,  he 
was  carried  into  the  railroad  buffet,  and  a  cup  of 
hot  broth  ordered  for  his  restoration.  He  was  too  sick 
to  take  it.  He  beckoned  to  the  needy  porter,  who  had 
come  to  fetch  the  luggage,  and  made  him  drink  it,  know- 
ing that  the  fellow  was  always  half  hungry.  The  rest  of 
us  chafed  at  the  delay  for  the  invalid,  but  he  would  not 
be  gainsaid.     In  the  rushing,  crowded  New  York  streets 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       395 

when  he  picked  up  a  stranger's  whip,  and  restored  it  with 
a  smile  and  doffed  hat,  there  was  in  the  act  the  fine  flavour 
of  a  day  when  men  had  the  leisure  for  good  manners. 

"Such  a  physical  limitation  as  deafness  often  causes 
even  good  men  to  close  in  upon  themselves,  grow  self- 
centered,  and  refuse  even  those  social  joys  which  remain 
to  them.  With  him  it  was  not  so ;  his  sympathies  of  heart 
and  head  seemed  to  grow  every  year  keener  and  wider. 
Much  given  to  hospitality,  high  and  low  breakfasted, 
supped  and  dined  at  his  board.  We  slept  on  sofas  so  our 
guests  might  have  the  beds,  and  there  was  a  recollection 
in  the  family  of  the  father's  going  to  a  hotel  more  than 
once  to  accommodate  guests.  To  what  an  extent  enter- 
taining was  practiced  was  instanced  by  a  humorous  ac- 
count my  mother  used  to  give  of  returning  one 
snowy  evening  in  Staunton  with  her  husband,  from 
a  round  of  pastoral  calls,  and  finding  a  perfectly 
strange  old  man  and  his  wife  comfortably  installed 
on  each  side  of  her  bedroom  fire,  who,  without  moving, 
benignly  asked  if  she  were  cold  and  would  like  to  get  warm. 
[N'either  she  nor  my  father  had  ever  seen  them  before, 
but  they  had  come  in  from  the  country  to  supper  and 
spend  the  night.  It  was  the  minister's  house ;  this  minister 
was  paid  in  Confederate  notes  and  his  wife  bore  him  eight 
children  and  much  of  the  time  had  no  servant.  Their 
hospitality  was  inspired  by  a  double  motive,  a  strong  con- 
viction of  the  duty  enjoined  on  the  bishop  to  show 
hospitality  and  the  Virginian's  pleasure  in  entertaining. 
I  can  never  forget  how,  even  after  he  was  too  deaf  to  hear 
his  guests,  his  bright,  eager  eyes  would  watch  each  one's 


396  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

mouth  SO  as  not  to  interrupt,  and  then  when  he  saw  a 
slight  break  would  dash  in  with  Rupert-like  impetuosity 
to  tell  an  apt  story  or  quote  a  bright  mot.  The  last  day 
of  his  life,  when  worn  to  gossamer  by  sleepless  nights  and 
weary  days,  he  arranged  for  the  employment  and  the  feed- 
ing at  his  table  of  a  beggar,  and  on  the  same  day  made  his 
daughter  organize  a  dinner  party  for  a  distinguished 
physician  who  had  attended  him  during  the  summer. 

^'  'I  want  to  show  him  honor,'  he  said,  ^even  if  I  cannot 
come  to  the  table;  it  is  not  much,  but  for  me  it  is  like 
the  box  of  ointment  which  Mary  poured  on  the  feet  of  the 
Saviour/ 

'^He  was  ably  seconded  in  his  hospitality  by  my  mother, 
who  brought  to  it  natural  graces  of  mind  and  person, 
fostered  by  family  traditions  and  a  girlhood  spent  in  the 
lavish  homes  of  Eastern  Virginia.  His  had  been  a  Puri- 
tan training,  hers  that  of  the  descendant  of  the  Cavaliers, 
but  they  were  one  in  all  the  essentials  of  principle  and 
conduct,  and  he  never  forgot  what  he  owed  to  her.  The 
aureole  of  his  wedding  day  never  faded,  and  she  remained 
to  him  the  beau-ideal  of  womanhood.  He  used  to  say  he 
had  rather  hear  her  tell  about  it  than  go  to  the  most 
brilliant  entertainment  in  the  world.  Though  extremely 
susceptible  to  feminine  beauty  and  charm,  he  valued  more 
highly  wit  and  mental  gifts.  His  first  question  when  he 
heard  of  a  delightful  woman  was:  'Is  she  a  fine  conver- 
sationalist?'  esteeming  with  Crashaw: 

"Sydneian  showers 
Of  sweet  discourse,  whose  powers 
Can  crown  old  Winter's  head  with  flowers." 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       397 

And  it  seemed  peculiarly  sad  that  a  man  so  social  should 
have  been  latterly  cut  off  from  the  conversation  of  all 
but  one  or  two  people. 

^'Nature  is  more  prodigal  than  fiction,  and  fortunately 
men  often  possess  qualities  which  would  seem  to  be  contra- 
dictory. This  was  the  case  with  my  father,  who  to  a 
sturdy  common  sense  and  practicality  united  much 
romance  and  ideality.  He  never  forgot  the  thrill  of  his 
first  sight  of  Italy  when  after  driving  all  day  over  the 
snowy  Simplon  Pass  he  reached  Domodossola,  and  ate  his 
supper  by  moonlight  under  a  grape  trellis  within  sound 
of  glancing  steps  and  tinkling  mandolins.  He  had  to  the 
end  a  boy's  love  of  adventure,  and  was  keen  to  try  new 
experiences.  When  people  spoke  of  him  as  an  old  man 
it  gave  me  a  shock  of  surprise,  for  he  had  the  dew  of 
youth  in  his  heart  to  the  very  end,  and  a  childlike  craving 
for  love  and  approbation  united  to  a  remarkable  spring 
of  intellectual  activity.  Most  men  after  they  pass  the 
meridian  are  content  to  chew  the  cud  of  what  they  have 
acquired,  but  he  was  always  welcoming  new  ideas,  striking 
out  new  lines  of  reading  and  study,  giving  forth  freshly 
assimilated  information.  While  intensely  loyal  to  Vir- 
ginia and  his  own  upbringing,  he  was  ready  to  enjoy  and 
recognize  the  beauty  and  goodness  he  found  in  Europe. 
Though  he  had  spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  a 
milieu,  where  there  was  no  artistic  culture  whatever,  he 
learned  to  love  art  for  its  own  sake  and  keenly  to  enjoy 
the  best  pictures  so  that  he  roamed  the  galleries  of 
Munich,  Dresden  and  Vienna  with  true  zest  and  never 
omitted  when  in  Florence  to  spend  some  hours  in  the  Uffizi 


398  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

or  to  visit  the  modern  exhibitions  in  Venice.  Against  the 
dancing,  theatre-going,  etc.,  which  were  tabooed  by  his 
pious  contemporaries,  he  uttered  no  invectives  or  diatribes. 
To  forbid  such  things,  he  said,  was  like  lopping  off  outward 
branches.  Fill  the  heart  with  the  love  of  God  and  the 
needs  of  humanity,  set  men  on  fire  with  the  love  of  Christ, 
and  such  things  lost  significance  and  ceased  to  interest; 
to  forbid  these  things  often  gave  them  a  fictitious  at- 
traction. He  was  deeply  interested  in  the  evangelization 
of  the  world  and  the  progress  of  civilization,  so  that  on 
his  bed  the  well-worn  Bible  lay  cheek  by  jowl  with  the 
oft-handled  atlas,  the  daily  and  religious  papers,  while 
he  dearly  loved  a  stirring  novel  or  a  good  biography.  An 
omnivorous  reader,  and  having  himself  a  terse  and  clear, 
yet  graceful,  mastery  of  good  Anglo-Saxon  English,  and  a 
fair,  forcible  use  of  Italian,  he  was  thoroughly  alive  to 
every  man,  woman  and  child  who  crossed  his  path. 

"He  left  America  just  when  he  was  beginning  to  be 
recognized  as  a  preacher  of  distinction  and  power,  and 
had  to  suffer  the  eclipse  of  expressing  himself  in  a  foreign 
language  undertaken  at  forty  years  old.  As  a  speaker  he 
had  none  of  the  tricks  or  graces  of  oratory ;  his  voice,  far 
stronger  than  his  frail  aspect  promised,  was  not  always 
under  control,  but  the  carefully  prepared,  original  matter, 
clear  concision,  unction,  and  a  deep  conviction  compelled 
and  rewarded  attention.  As  he  grew  older,  he  believed 
more  and  more  in  brevity,  and  his  listener  felt  that  his 
points  made,  he  could  be  trusted  to  stop — a  rarer  gift 
than  might  be  supposed.  He  paid  his  listeners  the 
courtesy,  and  his  subject  the  respect,  to  think  out  care- 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       399 

fully  what  he  intended  to  say.  He  never  learned  his  ad- 
dress by  heart,  saying  that  he  had  no  verbal  memory,  but 
that  he  never  forgot  a  train  of  thought  with  logical 
sequence  where  each  idea  budded  into  the  next.  His  dis- 
course was  dug  out  of  the  Bible  and  the  human  heart,  but 
it  was  leavened  and  popularized  by  illustrations  drawn 
from  his  own  observation  and  from  the  broader  fields  of 
literature  and  history.  His  sane  taste  revolted  against 
anything  hysterical  or  merely  emotional  in  religion,  hold- 
ing that  it  was  apt  to  be  followed  by  a  drier  aridity;  but 
he  had  a  deep  sense  of  sin  and  of  the  needs  of  humanity 
coupled  to  a  strong  conviction  of  the  importance  of  the 
preacher's  message,  and  in  his  delivery  of  it  was  a  tender- 
ness and  sympathy  which  always  convinced  and  stirred 
the  heart  and  sometimes  rose  to  real  eloquence.  In  his 
preaching,  as  in  his  prayers,  one  felt  the  reality  of  that 
divine  life  for  which  he  daily  strove,  the  preciousness  of 
the  Saviour  and  his  trust  in  the  fatherhood  of  God. 

"He  loved  life  and  was  keenly  interested  in  it,  and  he 
had  a  marvellous  power  of  recuperation  which  enabled 
him,  when  apparently  at  the  last  ebb,  to  pull  himself  to- 
gether and  concentrate  his  physical  and  mental  powers  for 
unexpected  efforts  as  well  as  to  project  himself  with  boy- 
ish buoyancy  into  the  future.  But  during  the  last  year, 
his  weakness  and  sufferings  increased,  desire  failed,  and 
sleepless  nights  were  the  rule,  so  that  it  was  little  wonder 
if  he  began  to  long  for  'the  rest  which  remaineth  for  the 
people  of  God'  and  to  almost  wish  that  'this  old  worn-out 
stuff,  which  is  threadbare  to-day,'  might  'become  everlast- 
ing to-morrow.'     When  on  the  28th  of  September,  1907, 


400  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

his  spirit  slipped  its  'frail  covering/  those  who  knew  him 
best  felt  that  he  was  ready  to  enter  on  a  wider,  more  un- 
fettered life,  and  that  for  him  it  was 

'Say  not  Good  Night — but  in  some  brighter  clime 
Bid  me  Good  Morning.'  " 

The  Rev.  Henry  J.  Piggott,  D.  D.,  for  over  thirty  years 
at  the  head  of  the  Wesley  an  Mission  in  Rome,  contributed 
for  II  Testimonio,  the  Italian  Ba])tist  paper,  a  tribute  to 
Dr.  Taylor.  Dr.  Piggott  has  kindly  prepared  the  follow- 
ing, which  is  in  substance  what  appeared  in  the  Italian 
paper : 

^'In  evoking  my  memories  of  Dr.  Taylor,  the  first  thing 
that  recurs  to  me  is  the  impression  he  always  gave  of 
serene  security  in  his  hold  upon  the  fundamental  doctrines 
of  his  faith.  Some  Christians  timidly  screen  their  beliefs 
from  the  winds  of  doubt  and  denial  that  agitate  the  air 
round  about  them.  Others  give  these  free  access  at  the 
cost  of  unsettlement  and  painful  questioning.  There  was 
not  the  slightest  evidence  of  either  attitude  in  the  case  of 
my  friend.  He  did  not  fear  to  read  widely  in  the  litera- 
ture of  modern  incredulity ;  his  was  no  hot-house  faith ; 
he  kept  eye  and  ear  liberally  open  to  the  critical,  the 
agnostic,  and  the  directly  hostile  nlovements  of  the  reli- 
gious thought  of  the  day.  Yet  his  own  calm  and  robust 
certainty,  with  regard  to  all  that  he  had  long  ago  accepted 
as  essential  truth,  seemed  to  be  utterly  unaffected.  His 
faith  lay  too  deep  down  in  the  depths  of  his  being,  be- 
longed too  intimately  to  the  indubitable  facts  of  conscious- 
ness and  experience,  for  doubt  to  be  possible.  He  never 
seemed  to  go  back  upon  it ;    to  pluck  at  the  'roots  of  it  to 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       401 

see  if  the  J  still  held.  'He  hneiv  in  Whom  he  had  believed.' 
This  personal  knowledge  of  Christ  his  Saviour  was  clearly 
his  anchorage,  and  kept  him  calm  and  confident  what- 
ever difficulties  and  questionings  might  be  stirring  around. 
''This  confidence  of  Dr.  Taylor's  faith  was  not  so  much 
expressed  as  revealed.  You  felt,  when  in  contact  with  him, 
especially  if  the  conversation  touched  spiritual  notes,  the 
sweet  peacefulness  in  which  he  lived  and  moved.  Perhaps 
it  was  in  his  prayers  that  this  habit  of  soul  made  itself 
most  appreciable.  I  have  known  few  men  to  whom 
prayer  seemed  to  be  more  their  natural  element.  The 
poet's  words, — Prayer  is  the  Christian's  vital  breath,  the 
Christian's  native  air, — were  truly  exemplified  in  him. 
In  whatever  society,  after  whatever  preoccupation,  gay  or 
serious,  his  spirit  was  always  ready  for  the  exercise.  He 
had  but  to  bow  the  knee  and  you  felt  that  he  was  face  to 
face  with  God.  None  but  one  who  'dwelt  in  the  secret 
place'  could  have  had  such  immediate  and  constant  liberty 
of  access.  And  the  simplicity,  yet  appropriateness,  of 
utterance  that  followed  showed  how  absolutely  self  was 
forgotten,  or  rather  absorbed,  in  the  Presence  divine.  The 
present  need,  the  actual  circumstances  were  thoughtfully 
gathered  up  and  found  apt  expression,  yet  was  there  no 
distraction;  the  mercy-seat  on  which  they  were  laid  was 
ever  fully  in  view.  And  there  was  a  pleading  earnest- 
ness, tremulous  sometimes  in  its  sympathy,  which  re- 
vealed at  once  the  loving  interest  in  those  pleaded  for,  and 
the  certainty  of  prevalence  with  the  Ear  that  listened, 
which  filled  the  heart  of  the  pleader.  These  are  sacred 
secrets  of  the  inner  life,  not  lightly  to  be  unveiled,  but  I 


402  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

feel  that  without  allusion  to  them  my  reminiscences  of 
my  revered  friend  would  lack  one  most  essential  element. 
"It  is  superfluous  to  say  that  Dr.  Taylor  held  with 
strong  conviction  the  special  tenets  of  his  own  church,  and 
it  belonged  to  his  crystalline  sincerity  to  be  faithful  to 
them,  to  whatever  consequences  he  believed  them  to  lead. 
I  only  mention  this  to  bring  out  into  more  vivid  relief 
another  quality  that  shines  in  my  memory  of  him,  namely, 
his  generous  catholicity  of  spirit.  His  own  strength  and 
sincerity  of  conviction  did  not  detract  from  his  conceding 
that  the  convictions  of  others  of  different  views  were 
equally  strong  and  sincere.  Here  in  this  Italian  evangel- 
ical field  such  a  quality  has  special  value,  and  made  my 
friend  ever  a  special  blessing.  Where  so  many  missions 
are  working  side  by  side,  and  often  for  reasons  easy  to 
understand  pressing  into  the  same  centers,  it  is  difficult 
to  avoid  attritions.  Yet  in  all  the  thirty  years  and  more 
of  our  intimate  relationship  I  have  no  remembrance  of 
any  such  attrition  between  Dr.  Taylor  and  his  colleagues 
in  mission  administration.  If  any  such  did  occur,  he 
was  too  jealous  of  the  honour  of  the  common  Master  to 
make  it  public.  And  his  whole  influence  was  ever  and 
most  beneficially  on  the  side  of  peace  and  union  between 
Christian  workers.  In  any  gathering  of  the  Evangelical 
Churches  for  united  counsel  or  cooperation,  in  any  com- 
memorative festivity  of  a  particular  church  or  mission,  his 
kindly  presence  and  genial  word  might  be  securely  counted 
upon;  and  every  one  felt  that  in  his  case  at  all  events 
there  was  no  suppression  or  reserve  to  belie  the  absolute 
sincerity  of  the  extended  hand  and  fraternal  speech. 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAX  TAYLOR,  D.  I).       403 

^'Of  Dr.  Taylor's  influence  upon  his  Italian  fellow- 
workers  I  need  not  speak.  His  correspondence,  and  the 
testimony  of  the  workers  themselves  will  bear  witness  to 
that.  We,  however,  from  the  outside  could  all  see  with 
what  filial  veneration  they  came  to  regard  him.  We  could 
see  also  how  long  and  tender  was  his  forbearance  with 
weaknesses,  how  quick  and  helpful  his  appreciation  of 
qualities  that  gave  hope  and  promise,  hoAv  absolutely  the 
superior  disappeared  in  the  father  and  friend,  and  how 
under  his  gracious  influence  all  souls  anyway  receptive 
grew  in  vigour  and  fruitfnlness.  And  we  all  came  to 
share  in  the  veneration  that  grew  up  around  him  from  that 
inner  circle  of  his  immediate  fellow-laborers.  The  epithet 
of  'saint'  applied  to  him  by  certain  mutual  English 
friends  was  but  the  apt  expression  of  the  halo  of  spiritual 
beauty,  and  gracious  influence  which  ever  more  and  more 
gathered  round  him  in  the  eyes  of  all  of  us  who  enjoyed 
the  privilege  of  his  society. 

''In  this  our  feeling  towards  him  there  entered  another 
attraction  without  allusion  to  which  this  memorial  of  him 
would  be  incomplete.  Xo  one  can  have  come  into  contact 
with  Dr.  Taylor,  even  casually,  and  not  have  observed  his 
sweet,  spontaneous  courtesy  of  manner.  There  was  some- 
thing about  him  of  the  old-fashioned  gentleman,  which 
the  rude  hurry  of  these  modern  times  seems  to  be  rapidly 
losing.  It  was  nothing  put  on  for  the  occasion,  but 
emanated  from  his  innermost  nature.  Much  was  due, 
no  doubt,  to  the  early  upbringing  of  the  South,  but  more 
had  been  gradually  wrought  into  him  by  the  refining 
influence  of  a  close  walk  with  Christ.     There  was  the  same 


404  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

courtesy,  whoever  the  guest  might  be ;  for  like  the  principle 
from  which  it  flowed,  it  had  'no  respect  of  persons.'  From 
the  moment  of  entering  the  room, — at  the  table,  in  every 
gesture,  in  the  tone  of  the  voice,  in  the  eye  always  on  the 
alert  to  detect  in  any  the  slightest  inconvenience  or  want — 
this  quality  made  itself  felt ;  simple,  unaifected,  sponta- 
neous, a  sort  of  sweet  fragrance  that  gave  itself  out  un- 
consciously but  made  the  whole  atmosphere  pleasanter. 

"But  I  cannot  close  these  reminiscences  without  speak- 
ing of  those  sore  trials  under  which  the  later  years  of 
my  dear  friend  were  passed.  There  were  indeed  mysteries 
which  only  'the  day'  will  explain.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
blows  of  the  divine  Hand  fell  just  where  the  spiritual 
nerves  would  be  most  sensitive.  Of  a  disposition  eminently 
social.  Dr.  Taylor  came  to  be  almost  excluded  by  his 
growing  deafness  from  taking  part  in  the  conversations 
that  went  on  around  him.  There  was  a  time  in  which  it 
seemed  as  if  blindness  were  about  to  deepen  this  seclu- 
sion. Singularly  fond  of  work  and  devoted  to  the  special 
work  of  the  mission  he  superintended,  there  were  often 
long  months  during  which  sickness  laid  him  entirely  aside. 
Sensitive  almost  to  excess  to  any  trouble  or  inconvenience 
given  to  others,  in  his  last  years  he  came  to  be  daily 
dependent  on  the  care,  always  lovingly  and  lavishly  given, 
of  those  who  were  dearer  to  him  than  his  own  life.  These 
are  doubtless  mysteries,  yet  to  us  who  were  witnesses  of 
that  'sufficient  grace'  which  kept  him  ever  sweet-tempered 
and  patient,  ever  supremely  thoughtful  for  others,  ever 
interested  in  outward  life,  ever  capable  of  drinking  in 
enjoyment    from   nature,    from   literature,    from    society, 


REV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       405 

ever  keenly  alive  to  all  that  touched  upon  the  progress  of 
his  Master's  kingdom,  in  Italy  or  elsewhere,  ever  elastic 
in  all  intervals,  however  brief  and  illusory,  of  better 
health,  it  seems  as  if  a  border  of  the  mystery  were  up- 
lifted, and  a  purpose  of  holy  example  revealed,  whose 
blessed  influence  who  shall  limit  or  adequately  tell  ? 

'^With  me,  at  all  events,  remains  indelible  the  impres- 
sion of  the  last  visit  I  paid  to  the  sufferer.  He  was  alone, 
in  bed,  prostrate  with  the  weakness  left  by  a  long  paroxysm 
of  pain;  it  seemed  as  if  he  could  hardly  last  to  see 
another  morning.  I  had  written  on  his  tablets  a  few  words 
of  sympathy  and  recalling  the  Infinite  Father's  love, 
which  we  knew  apportioned  and  mixed  every  cup  of 
suffering.  He  read  slowly,  word  by  word,  what  I  had 
written;  then  silently  seemed  to  rally  his  thought, — 
which  easily  fell  off  into  imconsciousness  at  every  interval, 
so  extreme  was  his  weakness, — then  in  broken  utterances 
replied  something  as  follows:  'Yes,  He  knows — He  sees 
in  me  that  which  needs  such  discipline — His  will  is  good 
— He  does  all  things  well — His  will  be  done !'  I  always 
felt  myself  a  better  man  for  any  intercourse  with  Dr. 
Taylor  when  in  health  and  vigour;  but  that  last  testi- 
mony in  its  sweet  humility,  its  perfected  patience  and 
submission,  will  remain  with  me,  a  sanctifying  memory, 
to  my  dying  day." 

Dr.  J.  Spotswood  Taylor  writes: 

''ITeither  as  an  orator,  writer  or  metaphysician  did  my 
father  attain  distinction.  He  was  perhaps  not  a  pro- 
found scholar.  No  work  remains  behind  which  will 
preserve  his  name  to  posterity,  and  doubtless  within  a  short 


406  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

time  it  will  be  forgotten.  It  is  true  that  he  was 
an  earnest,  forceful  speaker,  persuading  many.  He  wrote 
so  as  to  give  consolation,  courage  and  joy  to  his  readers. 
He  reasoned  soundly  and  well,  making  life's  difficult  path 
plain  and  enabling  not  a  few  to  face  the  mysteries  that 
none  can  fathom.  What  knowledge  he  possessed — and  it 
was  wide  and  varied — made  for  the  profit  and  pleasure 
of  a  large  circle.  He  had  the  culture  which  the  pedant 
usually  lacks.  But  none  of  these  things  bring  fame.  His 
claim  to  greatness  lay  in  something  rarer  and  more 
difficult,  in  something  begotten  neither  of  native  talent  nor 
the  most  persistent  industry.  He  had  goodness  in  so  large 
a  measure  that  it  made  him  a  great  man  by  the  noblest 
title.  On  the  scores  of  men  and  women  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact  during  a  long  and  active  life  in  varied 
climes  he  left  an  impression  as  marked  as  it  was  effort- 
less and  unconscious.  All  that  was  best  of  him  remains 
written  in  the  hearts  of  his  own  generation,  a  vital  testi- 
mony more  significant  than  the  proudest  monument  of 
brass  or  stone.  The  gentle,  irresistible  beneficence  of  good- 
ness overflowed  from  a  heart  that  loved  every  living  being. 
I  do  not  mean  by  goodness  any  ordinary  degree  of  moral 
blamelessness,  but  something  as  positive  as  light  radiating 
in  every  direction,  suffusing  everything  in  reach  with  an 
added  glory,  an  active  palpitating  goodness  that  warmed 
and  mellowed  and  sweetened  wherever  it  played;  good- 
ness that  prompted  the  noblest  deeds  and  was  manifest  in 
every  word  and  smile  and  gesture,  penetrating  and  all 
pervading  as  an  aroma.  It  was  sensible  to  the  proudest 
thinker  and  the  least  cultivated  intelligence.     Malignity 


EEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       407 

and  indifference  were  not  proof  against  it.  The  spell  of 
his  amiable,  kind  and  gentle  presence  held  rich  and  poor. 
The  potent  charm  of  his  personality  drew  the  wise  and 
the  foolish." 

In  harmony  with  the  foregoing  is  the  following 
extract  from  a  sermon,  by  a  distinguished  divine  of  our 
day,  on  "Personal  Influence,  the  Means  of  Propagating 
thJ  Truth": 

''The  men  commonly  held  in  popular  estimation  are 
greatest  at  a  distance;  they  become  small  as  they  are 
approached ;  but  the  attraction  exerted  by  imconscious 
holiness  is  of  an  urgent  and  irresistible  nature;  it  per- 
suades the  weak,  the  timid,  the  wavering,  and  the  inquir- 
ing ;  it  draws  forth  the  affection  and  loyalty  of  all  who  arc- 
in  a  measure  like-minded;  and  over  the  thoughtless  or 
perverse  multitude  it  exercises  a  sovereign  compulsory 
sway,  bidding  them  fear  and  keep  silence,  on  the  ground 
of  its  own  right  divine  to  rule  them, — its  hereditary 
claim  on  their  obedience,  though  they  understand  not  the 
principles  or  counsels  of  that  spirit,  which  is  born,  not 
of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God." 


INDEX 


A  PAGE 

Alleghany   College 77 

Allen,  L.  W 44,  46 

Alexander,  Archibald 101 

Alexander,  Jaa.  W. 108,    125 

Angus,    Joseph 169 

Appleton,  W.  H 96 

Armstrong,    Dr 120,    122 

Atlantic   Monthly 279,   364 

Appomattox     298 

B 

Barksdale,   W.   R 120 

Barron,   A.    C 150 

Barton-on-Humber 117,    118 

Bastile,   Place  de  la 116 

Biblical  Recorder * ., 201 

Bland,    Wm.    S 13 

Bledsoe,  Albert  T 18,   19 

Boardman,   George ' 8 

Boatwright,  F.   W 302 

Bologna,  University  of 264 

Boyce,  J.   P 51,   151 

Braxton,    Carter 38 

Broadus,  Jno.  A 21,  22,  50,  57,  167,   191,  242,  297 

Broaddus,  Wm.  F 21,  22,   167 

Brown,  A.  B 45 

Buckler,  Doctors 331 

Burrows,  J.  L 30,  46 

Burrows,  Lansing 160 

c 

Cabell,  James  L ^ 18,  100,  106 

Campello,   Enrico 224 

Campbell,  Laura 129 


410  LIFE    AND    LETTERS    OF 

PAGE 

Cantu,   C 259 

Cavour,    Court 308 

Christian  Review 31 

Cocke,  Chas.  L 12,  61,  301 

Cocke,  Miss  M.   L 350 

Cocorda,  0 205,  208,  228,  238 

Columbia  College 22 

Cook,   Thos 244 

Cote,  W.  N 163 

Curry,  J.  L.  M 95,  204,  296 

D 

Dana,  R.  H 220 

Davis,  John  Staige 106,  216 

Davis,  N.  K 240,  264 

Dickinson,  A.  E 123,  124,  372 

Di   Sanctis,   Dr 194 

Duke,    F.    W 360 

Dunscombe,  Major  Andrew 9 

E 

Eager,  J.  H 217,  227,  243,  296 

Earle,  A.  B 109,    125 

Echols,   General   John 92 

Emmanuel,   Victor 163 

Esquiline  Hill 206 

Evangelical  Alliance 208,  276,  387 

Ezekiel,  Sir  Moses 297,  335 

F 

Ferraris,  0 231,  276 

Fluvanna  Co 14 

Franco-Prussian   War 112 

Fuller,  Richard 22,  31,  207 

0 

Garibaldi,    G 308 

Gason,  John 192,  233 

George,  Z.  Jeter 30 

Gildersleeve,  Dr.  Basil  L 10,  106 

Gill,    Everette 352 


KEV.  GEORGE  BOARDMAN  TAYLOR,  D.  D.       411 

PAGE 

Gregory,  0.  F 382 

Guicciardini,    F 259 

H 

Harper,  W.  R 248 

"Harraff  House" 88 

Harrison,  Gessner 18,   19,  51 

Harris,  H.  H 140,  293 

Hart,  John 93,   134 

Hatcher,  W.  E 94,  265 

Hill,  N.  B 136,  155 

Hoge,  M.  D 122,  148,  167 

Hoge,    P.    C 103 

Hollins  Institute 95,  339 

Holmes,   Geo.   Frederick 106 

Hotel    Jefferson 7 

Howell,  Morton  B 13 

Howell,   R.    B.    C 39 

Hume,   Thos.,    Jr 87 

Hume,   Thos.,    Sr 103 

J 

Jackson,  Stonewall 61,  359 

James    River 11 

Jefferson,    Thomas 17 

Jeter,  J.   B 16,  22,   164 

Jones,  J.  Wm 73,  95,   102,   125 

Jones,    Silas   B 16 

Judson,  Edward 197,  198,  204 

K 

Keesee,  George  W 13 

Kernstown.    battle    of 76 

L 

Latane,  Jas.  A 49,   50 

Leo   XIII 361 

Lockhart's    Scott 207 

Lofton,  G.  A 320 

Long,   George I7 

Long,  J.  C 146 

Lorimer,    J.    C 164 


412  LIFE    AND    LETTEES    OF 

]JJ  PAGE 

Mallet,  J.  W 106 

Marsh,  G.   P 181 

Mason,  C.  R 55,  61,  76,  77,  148,  372 

Maupin,   S 100 

Manly,  Chas 214,  382 

Memorial  Movement 142,  152,  154 

McOuffey,  Wm.  H 18,  19,  106,  124 

Minor,  Jno.  B 18,   106 

"Monticello"     18 

Moody,  D.  L 247 

Mudie    Library 308 

N 

Nevin,  R.  J 181 

New  York  Observer -^ 209 

0 

Oncken,  J.  G 38,  93 

P 

Palace  of  the  Caesars 251 

Papengouth,   N 237,  276,  2S1,  356 

Paschetto,  Enrico 231,  252 

Peters,  W.  E 106,   129 

Peyton,  W.  H 48,  54,  56,   135 

Pickens,  Gov.   F.   W 65 

Pipgott,  H 297,  321,  400 

Poindexter,  A.   M 95,   125 

Puryear,    Dr.    B 12 

B 

Ragged  Mountains 26 

Read,   C.  H 129 

Rice,  A.  A 337 

Rice,   S.   B 45,   47 

Richmond    College 12 

Rogers,   Wm.    B 18 

Rosser,  Leonidas 150,  151 

Ryland,  Dr.  Robert 12,   13,  108 

Ryland,    Robert 336 


REV.    GEORGE    BOARDMAN    TAYLOR,    D.    D.  413 

S  PAGE 

Sajous,  C.  E.  de  M 371,  379,  380 

Sands,  A.   H 90,   91 

Scheie  de  Vera,  M 106 

Sears,  Bamas 31,  92,  93,  136,   154 

Simmons,    Franklin 181 

Slaughter,   J.   Warren 37,   54 

■  Smith,  F.  H 106,  280 

Smith,    S.    F 31 

Spurgeon,   C.   H 112 

Sumter,    Fort 64 

T 

Taylor,    J.    H 48 

Taylor,   S.   F 48,   49 

Thomas,  Wm.  D 13,  73,  302 

Thompson,  VV.  M 197 

Tupper,  H.  A 143,  213 

Tyree,  C 50,  99 

V 

Vallombrosa     324 

Van  Meter,  W.  C 191,  194 

Vaughan,  C.   J 171 

Venable,  C.  S 106,  109,  120,  264 

Vernon,  Dr 197,  200 

w 

Wake   Forest    College 322 

Walker,  Robert 295,  365 

Wall,    Jas 325 

Watchman  and  Reflector 125 

Washington  and  Lee  University 126 

Whitsitt,  W.  H 298,  312 

Williams,  J.   C 110,   302 

Williams,  J.  W.  M 30 

Williams,  W.  H 108 

Willingham,    R.    J 302 

Wilson,  Franklin 31,  95,  163 

Wilson,  N.  W 130 

Winchester,    Boyd 264 


938.5 
'i'212 


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